


Losers into Lovers (Eddie Kaspbrak x Reader)

by ElleKaspbrak



Category: IT - Stephen King, IT 2017
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-26
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:02:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 49,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23323639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElleKaspbrak/pseuds/ElleKaspbrak
Summary: In Derry, Maine is 1988, the Denbrough family suffers a tragedy that pushes the remaining two children, Bill and Elle, to seek revenge for their brother. The Loser's Club is formed, and together they're unbreakable.
Relationships: Ben Hanscom/Reader, Beverly Marsh/Reader, Bill Denbrough/Beverly Marsh, Bill Denbrough/Mike Hanlon/Ben Hanscom/Eddie Kaspbrak/Beverly Marsh/Richie Tozier/Stan Uris/Other(s), Bill Denbrough/Sister Reader, Eddie Kaspbrak/Reader, Mike Hanlon/Reader, Richie Tozier/Reader, Stan Uris/Reader, The Losers Club/The Losers Club (IT)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 37





	1. Prologue

Author’s note: All credit to Stephen King for his wonderful characters and storyline that we’ve all fallen in love with. I won’t be following exactly the book or the films (2017 and 2019), but I’ll most likely focus on the films’ storyline and add in some extra scenes here and there. :)  
I also won’t be shying away from any of the gory scenes described in the book and films, so if you aren’t fond of them I suggest taking a rain-check on reading!  
For the purposes of my writing, I’m aging the Loser’s Club members up to age 16-17.  
Thanks for clicking on my book, I hope you enjoy! 

“Elle?” She could hear her little brother’s voice call from just outside her closed door. Elle Denbrough spun around in the swivel chair in front of her dark wooden desk, her cloudy grey eyes snapping to her door.   
“Yeah, Georgie?” She called back, her voice light and welcoming. Elle was very fond of her brothers, but her family knew she had a soft spot for little Georgie and his puppy-dog eyes. Georgie knew it too, and that’s why he found himself opening the door to his sister’s room. He knew she wouldn’t kick him out like Bill probably would. Thunder rolled outside and the room was momentarily lit up by lightning from the raging storm that had trapped the Denbrough household inside all day.   
“Whatcha doing?” Georgie inquired, pushing into the room and childishly skipping his way into the middle of her bedroom to jump onto her bed. He was dressed in a little sweater and a pair of jeans, and the cuffs of his jeans rolled up his ankles when he moved to cross his legs on the bed. Georgie had this way about him that brought a smile to your face as he stared at you with those brown eyes, legs folded under his little 6-year-old body.   
“Just doodling, Georgie,” Elle smiled endearingly at her brother. “What’re you doing?”  
Georgie frowned, the sadness reaching into his eyes. “I’m bored. I don’t want to stay inside anymore. I hate the rain, I want to go out and play!” He whined, his eyes slipping past hers to gaze out her window.   
“Why don’t you bother Bill?” Elle suggested, “You know he’s probably bored too, right?”   
Georgie scrunched up his nose and shook his head. “He’s sick! He doesn’t want to do anything.”   
This brought Elle’s mouth into a frown. She tore her eyes away from her brother and scanned her room for something Georgie and her had been working on since yesterday. She stood up from her desk and hummed as she walked towards her nightstand.   
“Hmmm…” she teased, ruffling Georgie’s light hair and eliciting a giggle from him as she passed by. “If only you had something to do that was fun…” the corners of her lips twitched up into a small smile as she suddenly turned towards Georgie. Her hand darted out and grabbed something that has been on her nightstand. “If only you had something that was able to survive the seven seas outside,” she giggled, watching as Georgie’s smile grew.   
“The boat!” He cheered, jumping up a bit on her bed. His eyes lit up, dropping to her hands as she offered the paper boat to him. He reached out slowly, careful not to wrinkle the paper as he took the boat from his big sister’s hands. Georgie had always admired his older siblings, Bill and Elle. Sometimes he wished he was older, like them.   
Bill was 16 and working towards getting his driver’s license, and promised Georgie that he would be the first person to ride with him when he passed. Bill was tall too- much taller than himself or Elle. He was even taller than their mom, and nearly as tall as their dad. Elle didn't get that lucky, and Georgie thought it was funny when he asked her why she didn’t grow anymore and her face would begin to turn pink. Elle was also 16, although she was 10 months younger than Bill. They had the same group of friends too, and Georgie sometimes got to play with their friends if Bill and Elle were in a good mood that day. Georgie especially liked the one with glasses- Richie. He would do voices to make Georgie laugh.   
“Go bother Bill now,” Elle grinned, tucking a strand of her long blonde hair behind her ear as she crouched down beside her bed. “Tell him we’re going to sail in a bit, and that we need the boat waterproofed A-SAP!”  
“AY-SAP!” Georgie nodded, scrambling off the bed with the boat in his hands, a goofy grin on his face. You could see the two spaces in his mouth that were waiting to be filled by adult teeth. Georgie often stuck a straw in the spaces where his front teeth were absent and drank his chocolate milk that way, and delighted in the way their mom would cringe when the milk slurped through the staw and through the spaces. Elle watched as Georgie disappeared down the hall, stopping briefly as he turned into Bill’s room to glance once more at Elle before disappearing. Elle could barely hear Georgie ordering Bill to get up “AY-SAP” and asking Bill to waterproof the boat so he could sail.   
Elle giggled and turned back to her previous project. She hadn’t been up to very much, just some absentminded doodling of flowers across a lined piece of paper she had ripped out of her binder, tearing the holes in the process. The drawings were what Richie Tozier, one of Bill and Elle’s closest friends, would call “that girly shit”. The thought brought a grin to her face as she thought about their friends. Richie, along with Eddie Kaspbrak and Stan Uris, were the guys that Elle and Bill spent most of every day with. Today they had had plans to meet up and see a movie at the theatre near the library, The Aladdin. Then the rain started, and washed all those plans away. Elle found a small frown creeping back onto her face. She had been looking forward to the movie- not so much the movie itself but the small possibility she might find herself seated next to Eddie. It had happened a few times before, and Eddie usually shared the candies he bought with her. They never reached into the candy bag though. Eddie had shown her how to lay a napkin across their laps in the theatre and pour the candy into their laps. “Then there’s no germs in the bag” Eddie had grinned, obviously happy that she had agreed to his candy-sharing terms. She could feel her face heating up a little at the thought of the boy. Although she would never admit this to anybody, she had a bit of a crush on the dark-haired Kaspbrak boy.   
From her room she could hear Georgie’s light footsteps thundering up the stairs from the main floor, and she found herself wondering when exactly he had gone downstairs. Georgie had supplies in his arms and a grin on his face as he marched back into Bill’s room, where Elle could hear Bill blowing his nose. Bill had gotten a bad cold this week and had spent most of his week in bed. Today was the day he was supposed to be up and walking around town with Elle and their friends, but still he remained in bed.   
The man cold, Elle had called it.   
Guess I’m going sailing, Elle thought to herself, peering outside again to watch the raindrops trickle down her window against the grey backdrop the clouds provided. There was no way Bill was going to haul his ass out of bed to go sailing, and Elle hated the thought of Georgie going alone. She brushed her long, blonde hair off her face and reached for a black scrunchie on her desk. No sense in getting her hair wet outside. She’d probably end up like Bill is now if she let herself get soaked. She ponytailed her hair, which now swept against her upper back as she made her way to her closet. She was already wearing a warm, olive green sweater and a pair of dark blue high-waisted jeans, but she didn’t think those would do much to protect her outside. Her grey eyes scanned through her closet before her eyes landed on the blue rain jacket. Her mom had bought similar rain jackets for her brothers, Bill’s was red and Georgie’s was a bright yellow color. It matched his bright persona.   
Elle shrugged on her jacket and zippered it up to her chin, stopping to check her appearance in the tall mirror in the corner of her room. She looked warm enough, but in 10 minutes or so she’d probably come back looking like a drowned rat. Wrinkling her nose, she unzipped her jacket a little and sighed. Why do I have to look like such an idiot?  
Elle was on the shorter side, topping out at 5’3 on a good day in the right shoes. With her blonde hair pulled back she thought she might pass for a boy, especially in this jacket once she pulled her hood up outside. The length of the jacket would also hide what little she had for curves. With a sigh she turned her back to the mirror, bending down for a moment to pull an older pair of sneakers from under her bed. They had once been white, but had long since been covered in grass stains, mud and submerged in the grey water of the Barrens. She moved to sit on the edge of her bed as she tugged her shoes on. Better these get soaked than my new ones, she thought, rising to her feet. Elle trudged down the hall, a floorboard creaking under her feet as she made her way to Bill’s room.   
“How’s the ASAP coming along?” she asked, startling the pair of brothers that had been hunched over Bill’s desk. “I see Georgie managed to revive you.”   
Bill’s eyes met Elle’s and the ghost of a smile graced his face, causing his cheeks to dimple a bit. Dimples had been passed down to all three Denbrough children, but Elle thought Georgie wore them best.   
“V-ve-very f-fu-funny,” Bill chuckled, turning back to his work. Elle couldn’t remember a time where Bill didn’t stutter. He had been hit by a car when they were three and had fallen unconscious for hours afterwards, and the stutter had been present since then according to their parents, but Elle couldn’t remember him without it. The kids at their high school often teased Bill for it, dubbing him Stuttering Bill. The thought of it made Elle’s blood boil, but Bill had begged her multiple times to let it slide. Elle had the opposite personality of Bill. Bill was strong and smart, and he was a natural born leader. He had a good, steady head on his shoulders and took the time to think before he did something. Bill always put everybody else before him, and he loved his family and friends very much.   
Elle on the other hand was often impulsive, making decisions on the way she felt in the moment, and she had a mouth on her that had gotten her in trouble on more than one occasion. Richie and Elle had that in common. Elle cared deeply for her friends and family too, and would spend every last penny she had and give the skin off her back to help every one of them. She too had some grief going into high school. Running around with boys all the time was bound to stir up some rumors, but Elle had never thought the high school kids could be so cruel until she ran into a certain group of walking assholes- the same ones that caused trouble for Bill and the rest of their group. It wasn’t just high school kids either. Some of the adults in Derry had given her looks over the years, although no adult had quite said what they were thinking to her face yet.   
“I thought it was funny,” Elle smiled, walking into his room. Bill had used tissues all over his bed and night stand, and his bed was a complete mess of ruffled sheets and discarded clothes. “Shit, Bill. It’s gross in here. Would it kill you to clean up your snot rags so you don’t infect the rest of us?”   
Bill remained focused on finishing the coat of wax on the boat, but a little chuckle escaped his lips. “Y-you sound l-like E-e-eddie,” he laughed, and she felt her face grow a little warm at the mention of Eddie’s name. In a higher pitched voice Bill spoke again, “D-d-did you kn-know that n-n-nighty-nine percent of i-infections c-co-come from u-used snot rags?”   
“That sounds nothing like him!” Elle defended Eddie, but she couldn’t help but giggle a little bit.   
Bill didn’t reply verbally, but he laughed a little more before he perked up, boat in hand, and looked to Georgie.   
“H-here y-you g-g-go!” he grinned, offering the finished boat to his brother, who took it into his tiny hands and nearly started to vibrate with energy on the spot.   
“What does it say?” Elle asked, stepping closer to get a better look at the boat. In Bill’s handwriting S.S. Georgie was written in black ink on the side of the boat. Elle felt a smile growing on her face when Georgie ran past her with a mumbled “meet you downstairs” on his way out.   
“Thanks, Bill,” Elle smiled, her eyes finding her older brother and meeting his eyes. You could tell Bill had been sick, with his red nose and faint bags under his eyes, but he was looking better than he had been a week ago.   
“N-no p-pro-problem,” Bill smiled, his brown eyes meeting hers. Bill and Georgie had the same eyes, full of happiness and a childish twinkle.   
“You feeling up to coming out?” Elle asked. She had started to get warm in her jacket and was looking forward to getting outside into the cooler air for some relief.   
“N-no. Y-you go on w-wi-without me. I’ll g-go t-to-tomorrow,” he smiled a little, and looked tired. Elle sensed he was looking forward to getting back into bed.   
“Alright, tomorrow it is,” she nodded, and had started to turn away when she glanced back, a smile on her lips. “Don’t be such a lazy ass, Billy. Tomorrow we’re going to the Barrens with the guys and you better not bail.”   
Bill smiled and nodded. “Y-yeah, I kn-know. I’ll b-be f-fine,” he rose from his desk and slipped past his sister on the way back to his bed. “B-but we all kn-know the r-real r-re-reason you want to see the g-guys so bad.” Bill’s smile had turned into a small smirk as he sat on the edge of his bed, his eyes finding yours again to send you a wink.   
“Fuck off,” Elle chirped, her voice suddenly so much higher than she thought it would be. Now she was really, really warm in this jacket.   
“F-fu-fuck you t-too,” Bill laughed, watching the way his sister’s face started to burn. He knew. He knew all too well about his sister’s little crush, although he never teased her about it in front of the guys, for which Elle was very grateful for.   
Elle turned on her heel and waved a quick goodbye to Bill, who returned her goodbye with a loving middle-finger salute. Elle smiled to herself and hummed as she went down the stairs. She had gotten a song by Poison stuck in her head. It had just been released earlier this year and was doing well on the Top Hits of 1988 charts according to Richie.   
“Every rose has it’s thorn…” she sung quietly as she came to the bottom of the stairs. Georgie was seated on the floor by the front door, tugging on his galoshes. Elle could hear the sound of their mother in the kitchen, pots and pans clinking together. At a glance, she could see the living room was empty. Dad must be in the garage.   
The sound of the front door clicking open drew her attention to Georgie again, who had his galoshes on and his yellow rain jacket zipped up to his chin.   
“Ready kiddo?” Elle asked, smiling as Georgie bounded out the front door. Almost immediately the smell of rain hit her, and she felt the dampness of the day on her face. She reached back into the house to pull the door shut behind her, and stepped out into the rain. Right away she was reminded to pull her hood up as the cold rain began to land on her hair and face, goosebumps raising all over her body as she shivered and pulled up her hood. It was colder than she had thought it would be. She could see Georgie standing on the street, his head tilted up towards the second flood and a grin on his face.   
Bill must be up there, Elle smiled. Georgie was waving now, and Bill’s voice came through a walkie-talkie that Elle realized Georgie had tucked into his yellow pocket.   
“B-be c-ca-careful.”   
Elle smiled again and took a deep breath of the Derry air that surrounded her, but the smile vanished when a tight feeling arose in her chest. She turned back to the house and started back towards the front door. Elle had asthma- not nearly as severe as Eddie had it, but she found that cold air and running really fucked her lungs over. She pushed the front door open, stepping into the house again.   
Georgie will be fine with Bill watching him for a moment.  
She reached the table in the entryway and pulled her inhaler from a drawer. The tight feeling in her chest had gotten a little worse, and she felt a little short of breath as she uncapped the inhaler. Usually she kept one on her, or could rely on Eddie for his. They had compared medications one day, and although they didn’t have the same medication in them, they both agreed that having a different medication was better than an asthma attack. At first Eddie had hated the idea of sharing an inhaler with somebody, but the next day he had told her “I guess I’d rather breathe and have some germs than not breathe…” in that tone of voice he used when he was grossed out but was trying his hardest to make himself seen like he wasn’t.   
Elle felt instant relief when she triggered the inhaler and took a quick, deep breath in. She recapped it and stuffed it into her pocket.   
Better safe than sorry.   
She turned on her heel once more and stepped back out into the rainy day. She tugged the door closed behind her again, and frowned. The day had seemed to have gotten darker since she had gone back inside. The air seemed colder, the clouds gloomier and the street more sinister.   
“Georgie?” She suddenly called out, realizing she had come out with her little brother. He was no longer standing on the street in front of their house.   
“Georgie?” She called again, louder this time as she strode towards Georgie’s previous location. She glanced up into the house as she stepped into the street, the gutter water immediately soaking into her sneakers and turning her toes into ice cubes. Bill was no longer in the window. Elle felt panic begin to rise in her throat.   
“GEORGIE?” She yelled, not caring now if she disturbed her neighbour’s quiet day. A glance up the street revealed no yellow raincoat, so Elle glanced down the slope of the street. That’s the way the gutter water was running, so that’s the way S. S. Georgie would have sailed.   
Elle’s cold, wet feet started down the street, following the flow of water that was destined for the sewers. The street curved up ahead, and she was hoping to catch a glimpse of yellow up ahead. The panic remained in her throat and she felt the way a little kid felt when they lost their parents in the store; nervous and frightened, and maybe even a little lost. The tight, tugging feeling returned to her chest as she began to jog down the street, kicking water up onto the butt of her jeans.   
That came to a stop immediately. Elle came to a dead stop when she thought she could hear a scream. A distant scream, but it was definitely a scream. And it didn’t sound like the scream that would come from something fun.   
“GEORGIE?” Elle screamed in return, the pitch of her call hurting her throat a little.   
What if he’s hurt? What if somebody hurt him? What if…   
Elle broke into a sprint down the street. Her grey eyes, matching the dark clouds above, were wide, pupils blown out in panic. It was hard to catch her breath as she ran, but she was coming around the bend in the road now and she didn’t care. When she saw Georgie again she could stop for her inhaler, but not now.   
She could feel her heart drop out of her chest when the road straightened out in front of her.   
There was nothing yellow on the street. There was nothing at all on the street. No little boy in his yellow jacket. No S.S. Georgie. Nothing.   
Elle kept up her pace down the street, calling out his name when she got to the intersection at the end of the road. She turned in a circle in the street. Her feet were sopping wet. Her hood had been blown off her head as she ran, and her golden hair stuck to her face at odd angles. She felt around in her jacket for her inhaler as her eyes frantically searched the street and the houses that lined it. Nothing.   
She sucked in her medication and her eyes searched the gutters. No S. S. Georgie.   
She took a step towards the gutter to her right, and followed the flow of water to the drain in the curb of the road. It was taking in a lot of water, gurgling sounds erupted from the depths of the Derry sewers, and Elle took a startled step back when a louder sound came from the drain. Elle knew it must have been the water running into the drain, but for a split second she could have sworn she heard laughter. The sound a little kid would make, just a giggle.   
Elle frowned and tore her eyes away from the drain, and screamed now.   
“GEORGIE? GEORGIEEE?”   
She waited for a moment. No reply.   
A small cry escaped her lips and for the first time in her life she felt true panic. She knew Georgie would not have gone off the street. Their parents had hammered that rule into his head. She did not know where he could have gone.   
Another cry left her pink lips and she could taste salt on her tongue, and realized her tears were mixing with the drops of rain that trickled down her face. The rain was still beating down, although lighter than it had been when she left the house.   
At the thought of her house, Elle began a sprint back up the street, towards home. She needed her parents. She needed Bill. They had to be able to split up to find Georgie. He couldn’t have gone far- he wouldn’t have…   
She got the sudden urge to throw up, but she made it home. 

What she didn’t know then was that Georgie would never make it home. 

It watched the blonde girl’s retreating form disappear in the rain from the narrow scope of the sewer drain. 

If Elle had stayed a moment longer, she would have noticed the yellow orbs that seemed to glow from within the dark drain. 

But she didn’t. 

Instead, she ran towards home.

Like Georgie should have. 

_____________________________________  
I wanted to let everybody know that I see Elle as looking like Chloe Grace Mortez, especially in this picture: https://www.wallpaperflare.com/chloe-grace-moretz-16-wallpaper-mujku


	2. School's Out for the Summer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elle, Bill, Eddie, Richie and Stan have a rough first 10 minutes of summer.

Elle Denbrough wasn’t one to lose hope easily, but the days turned into months, and Georgie was gone.   
In the beginning Bill and Elle had helped their parents look for Georgie, running up and down the street, around downtown Derry, everywhere they could think of. They put up posters on every street.   
MISSING: GEORGIE DENBROUGH   
Nothing had turned up. No leads. No suspects. No Georgie. 

Elle had last seen Georgie in October of 1988. Halloween had come and gone uneventfully. Thanksgiving dinner had been eaten silently around a dinner table that had four place settings instead of five. Christmas presents had been exchanged quietly around a tree that didn’t seem as bright and cheerful as it had been in previous years. The New Year had been rung in with confetti and noisemakers in the Denbrough’s living room. Valentine's Day at Derry High School had gone by. Any sign of the little Denbrough boy was nonexistent, and that broke Bill and Elle’s hearts.   
By April of 1989 Bill and Elle had begun to lose hope. They had walked every road in Derry, looked in every yard, searched the Barrens. Georgie wasn’t there.   
It was at that point that they had also noticed the changes in their parents. Mrs. Denbrough was quiet at the dinner table, always had a glass of wine before bed, and played sad songs on the piano when she thought Bill and Elle were out. She kept Georgie’s shoes at the front door, as if she expected him to bounce down the stairs, pull them on and go for a ride on his scooter. Mr. Denbrough had become quieter, much like his wife. He started working longer hours and liked to spend most of his time after work in the garage with a beer in his hand. The times Elle had walked in on him he had just been sitting on his stool, a frown on his face. She would ask him if he was okay, and he would look at her long enough to nod and tell her to “go see if your mother needs help with dinner”. 

That was how their days passed for the most part. The agonizing silence at their home was almost always punctuated a few times a week by Eddie, Richie and Stan. The three of them did everything they could to help their friends, and Bill and Elle were forever grateful for that. The five of them would meet up at school in the mornings, split off to their classes, rejoin for lunch briefly and then meet up once more at the end of the day.   
The days turned into months, and before Elle could really register it, it was the last day of the school year. 

In Elle’s last class of the day, English, the students had been filling out “feedback forms” designed to give anonymous feedback to the teachers on their performance throughout the school year. Elle knew that most of her peers would take this opportunity to be assholes to the teachers, so she used hers to do the opposite. She finished quickly, and picked up her navy backpack as she stood, paper in hand. She sat in the second row in English class because of a seating plan that had been enforced since the beginning of the term, separating her and Stan, who had been seated in the third row on the opposite side of the room. She glanced to the windows as she reached the teacher’s desk, making eye contact with Stan, who sent her a quick smile before focusing on his writing once again. Stan was the only one of the group in this class with her. Eddie was in a math class, which he hated passionately, Richie was in a different math class, and Bill was in Science. Elle knew Stan wouldn’t be done writing until the bell rang in ten minutes, dismissing the school for the summer, so she headed out of the class when she turned in her feedback.   
There were a few kids out in the hall, mostly ones she recognized from the class she had just left. Turning left towards the stairs, Elle hummed to herself and took the stairs two at a time. She guessed Bill would be out of his class first, and his class was on the second floor.   
A small smile on her face, she thought about the rest of their day.   
What would the five of them do? They could see what was playing at The Aladdin, take a walk down into the Barrens, go back to her place and play…   
Her thought was cut short when a girl with long, firey hair rounded the same corner as she did at the same time, and they collided. The red-haired girl flinched back immediately, her emerald eyes snapping upwards, only softening when she realized who it was.   
“Shit- hey,” The red-haired girl spoke, her voice softer than Elle had expected, given the bumping into incident. She watched a small, sheepish smile grow on the girl’s face and Elle found herself smiling back.   
“Hey- Bev, right?” Elle laughed a little, coming out more as a giggle.   
“Yeah, that’s me!” Bev nodded, her voice a little sharper now, more confident. “Elle, right? Didn’t we have math together last term?”   
Elle nodded immediately. “Yeah! What a time that was,” she giggled a bit, shifting her backpack on her shoulder. “Thank God we’re done for a few months.” Elle remembered Bev well from math class, but since it ended the two of them hadn’t talked as much as they did during class, much to the teacher’s displeasure. The two of them had had a decent time in the class, but Elle was more than grateful it was over.   
Ben smiled back to her, making eye contact and then letting her green eyes scan the hallway.   
“Want to come to the bathroom with me for a second?” She asked, but it wasn’t so much a question as it was assumed Elle would go. Elle didn’t get an answer out before Bev slipped by her, headed for the girls bathroom.   
Elle furrowed her eyebrows together, turning and watching Bev for a moment before she followed. Bev hadn’t bothered to hold the door for Elle, so she jogged to catch the door before it closed, slipping into the girls bathroom.   
“So,” Bev began, her bag dropping off of her shoulder as she unzipped the front pocket. From there she pulled out a carton of cigarettes and a lighter. “Got any summer plans?”   
Elle shifted her weight as she watched Bev dig through her bag. If a teacher walked in right now the two of them would be caught red-handed. Not to mention the smoke would probably bother her asthma. Then again, it was the last day. On second thought, Elle realized she really didn’t care that much. What was a teacher going to do? Give them detention in the summer?   
“Not really, I’ll probably just hang around and cause some trouble,” Elle shrugged, taking a few steps before boosting herself up to sit on the counter between the two sinks. She glanced down at her jean-clad legs for a moment, and tugged down the hem of the loose white sleeveless top she was wearing.   
A light laugh escaped Bev’s lips as she took a cigarette out of the carton and stuck it between her lips, offering the carton to Elle. “That sounds like a good summer.”   
“No thanks,” Elle smiled, her cheeks turning a little pink. “I’ve never done it.” She knew Bill and Richie sometimes smoked, but she had never tried. Come to think of it, Bill and Richie had never offered it to her.   
“I can show you how if you want,” Bev giggled, tucking a strand of her long red hair behind her ear as she dropped the carton back into her bag and flipped the lighter on. She held the flame to the end of the cigarette and took a long drag. Elle watched as the end of the dart caught fire, and she could smell the smoke almost immediately. The smell didn’t bother her at all. In fact, she kind of liked the smell. Bev dropped the lighter back into her bag too, and she held the cigarette between her middle and index fingers gracefully. Elle couldn’t deny Bev was pretty, and she knew many other people would agree. But high school was cruel to Bev too. Elle had seen a group of girls after Bev numerous times.   
Elle hesitated for a moment, staring at Beverly Marsh with her big grey eyes filled with uncertainty. “Sure.” Why not?   
Bev smiled and took another drag from the cigarette before extending her arm to Elle. From her spot on the counter, Elle took it between her middle and index fingers, like she had watched Bev do. She watched the smoke curl off the end of the little stick, and her eyes flickered to Bev, who was watching her. Bev gave her a nod, and Elle took the cigarette between her lips and took a breath in- not enough to fill her lungs, but enough to say she really smoked. Almost immediately, she coughed a few times, the smoke coming out of her parted lips. Bev giggled and took the cigarette back from Elle. It was definitely a different feeling. It wasn’t bad, as she had expected. It made her feel a little older. Probably because to get your hands on cigarettes you were supposed to be older.   
The two of them went back and forth until the cigarette had gotten too small, passing it back and forth, both of them seated on the counter. By the end, Elle wasn’t coughing anymore.   
“Well look at that, you’re a regular cool kid,” Bev spoke, smiling as she flicked what was left of the cigarette into the sink and turned the faucet on for a moment.   
As Elle watched the water extinguish the flame, the bell rang.   
“Thank fucking God,” Bev smiled, turning the faucet off. “Free at last.”   
“Thank fucking God,” Elle echoed, hopping off the sink as Bev picked her bag back up. “I’ve got to meet my friends now, but do you still have my number from math?” Bev nodded as she dug through her back again. “Stay in touch then, maybe we can hang out one day?” Elle smiled at Bev, watching as the red-haired girl smiled a little.   
“Yeah, that would be cool,” Bev was still digging through her bag. “I’ll use the bathroom before I go but I’ll catch you later, Elle.”   
Elle smiled at the thought of having a new friend. Maybe she could even come and meet Bill and their friends one day. Come to think of it, she had never seen Bev with anybody around school.   
“See you!” Elle waved to Bev as she slipped into the chaos that was Derry High School after the last day of class. The halls were filled now, almost shoulder to shoulder, and Elle had started to bump into people the moment she stepped out. Her eyes darted face to face before she sighed. She was never going to find Bill now. He was probably outside in their usual spot anyway. Elle dipped under arms and slipped between bodies as she made her way down the stairs and out the side doors that her friends usually used. These doors were less frequently visited by the assholes they strived to avoid, and they lead out towards the parking lot too. Eddie had gotten a car only last week, having passed his driving test a month prior with flying colors. Of course everybody had known he would pass. Eddie had spent hours and hours studying for his test, and had enlisted Elle more than a few times to quiz him on the rules of the road. Eddie inherited a blue four-door car that had previously belonged to his father. His mom had kept it in the garage since Eddie was 3, and Eddie had spent some time with Bill and Stan getting it fixed up and ready for the roads again. Of course, Richie and Elle were there too. They just weren’t much help. They didn’t know much about cars, and preferred to entertain the group instead with banter and jokes.   
The blast of summer air hit Elle as soon as she pushed the heavy door open, stepping out into what was now officially summer.   
“Thank fucking God,” she mumbled again, brushing the hair out of her eyes and over her shoulders. It wasn’t that she hated school. She actually quite liked her classes, and she didn’t mind the homework she worked on every night for a few hours like most people did. She just much preferred summer, and the freedom it represented. Freedom from routine. Freedom from stress. But most of all, freedom from the assholes that stalked the halls of Derry High School.   
It was as soon as she thought about the group of boys that she heard Henry Bowers whoop, followed by a few copy-cat whoops from his friends. If you could call them that.   
Elle felt her throat tighten as she looked for her brother and friends. Bill was never hard to find being as tall as he was, and Elle located him quickly. A smile grew on her face as he eyes slipped over to Eddie, Stan and Richie, but it quickly faded when another round of whoops came from Bower’s group. Henry Bowers and his two followers were right in front of her friends, and the most recent “WHOO!”s had come from them pushing poor Stan around, pulling the kippah off of his curly blonde hair and tossing it frisbee-style into a passing bus. Elle picked up her pace, smile replaced by a frown and her eyebrows knitted together. How dare they do that to her friends. She neared her friends and made eye contact with Stan first. He looked upset and dischebelled, as he should look after Henry shoved him around.   
“Hey-” Stan began to speak, drawing the attention of Eddie and Richie, who were standing behind Bill, who was facing Henry.   
“Are you okay?” Elle cut him off, her eyes moving up and down Stan’s body, then glancing at the other boys. Her heart skipped a beat when she looked into Eddie’s chocolate brown eyes, but it dropped right into her feet when she heard Bill talk back to Bowers.   
“Y-y-you s-s-suck, Bowers!” Bill called after the group’s retreating forms. Almost immediately, the three walking dicks spun around. It wasn’t the best insult, but Elle admired him for speaking up. Except now Bowers looked like he could kill, and Elle wouldn’t bet against it.   
Elle’s eyes widened as Richie’s hand shot out, grabbing onto Bill’s forearm and giving it a good jerk. “Shut up Bill!” he warned. Richie, usually all fun and games, looked as sober and pale as a corpse.   
Elle could almost hear her pulse in her ears as Henry made his way back towards the group. She now recognized Belch and Patrick, two boys in the grade above the group of friends. The three of them together were confident and aggressive, which almost always spelt trouble for them.   
Stan had moved closer towards Richie and Bill, who were the front line for the group. Eddie stood behind them slightly, his shirt pulled out of his jeans and the collar messed up. That was a sure sign that Bowers had pushed Eddie around too- he hated when his collar got flipped. Stan stood right behind Eddie now, and Elle could feel their eyes on her when she stepped up to stand beside Bill.   
“Y-yu-you s-su-suh-say s-su-somthin’ Buh-buh-billy?” Henry sneered as he mimicked Bill’s stutter. Elle could feel her blood begin to boil as she listened. He stalked towards the group, eyeing the bunch of them up. Elle watched Henry’s eyes focus in on her next, and his sneer turned into a disturbing grin. “Why if it isn’t your s-su-slut of a sister, B-buh-Billy,” Henry mocked, and Belch and Patrick began to laugh, encouraging Bowers.   
Bill remained quiet. He knew he had erred by speaking up, but one glance up to Bill and you could tell he was clenching his jaw. You could see the vein on the side of his neck poking out. Elle could tell he was pissed off.   
“You two got a free pass this year ‘cause of your little brother. Ride’s over Denbroughs,” Henry grinned. It reminded Elle of a smile a child might have on Christmas morning. Henry and his goons were closer than Elle was comfortable with now, only a foot away from Bill at the most. Henry’s mean eyes drifted over every one of them, and then Elle could see them drift past the group. Whatever he saw knocked down his confidence, and he backed up a little. “This summer is going to be a hurt train for you and your faggot friends,” Henry warned, his eyes leaving Bill’s to drift over the group again. They fell upon Elle, and her mouth ran dry. Something about the look in Bower’s eyes scared the living shit out of her. “Don’t think I forgot about you, princess. I have something special for you,” his grin grew wider, if possible, and Elle watched as Henry grabbed at his crotch, taking a step back.   
Disgust and fear. That’s what she felt looking into the eyes of Henry Bowers in that moment. Elle jumped and broke eye contact with Henry when she felt somebody grab her by the upper arm. She backed up instinctively, her head snapping up as she bumped into somebody’s chest. She looked into those warm brown eyes and immediately her body relaxed. Eddie. Eddie had grabbed her. She was safe.   
The sound of a car starting and then revving caught Elle’s attention again, and she turned to watch Bowers and his gang climb into Patrick’s car. Bill turned around, frowning as he glanced around his group and then back to Patrick’s car, which revved again before taking off. As they passed, she could see three pairs of middle fingers through the windows. Then they were gone.   
She let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding, and she felt Eddie’s hand slip from her arm, although he didn’t move away from her. When Richie and Stan turned to face them, Bill sighed and turned too. They stood in a circle, quiet for a moment.   
“What a bag of dicks,” Richie spoke first, breaking the silence. It was quiet for a moment more before he added, “I wish they would go missing.”   
Elle glanced up to Bill, gauging his reaction to that word.   
Missing.   
Like Georgie.   
A deep frown took over Bill’s face, and he nodded in agreement with Richie.   
Eddie spoke from beside her, startling Elle with the bitter tone that was so rare to hear from Eddie. “He’s probably the one doing it.”   
The group was quiet for another moment, letting the thought sink in. Once again, Elle wouldn’t bet against it.   
“I could see it,” Stan nodded in agreement, his eyes skipping around the group as he fixed his hair that Bowers had wrecked. The others were reminded of their state, and Elle watched as Richie pushed his glasses back up his nose and straightened the flannel that had been pulled off one shoulder. Eddie bumped Elle’s shoulder with his elbow as he moved to straighten up his collar and run a hand through his dark hair.   
Elle felt a sense of comfort as she looked around at her friends. She had known these guys since they were little kids, and she knew they were each other’s ride or die. Stan had always been so well-mannered, but he had come out of his shell in recent years. Richie had always been a trashmouth, but he was always there to comfort anybody that needed it with his jokes, and even occasionally an embrace. Bill was her brother, and Elle had watched him grow into his strong personality in the last few years, especially around Bowers. Then there was Eddie. Eddie was polite and kind, but around his friends he could be just as bad as Richie was sometimes with the way he would banter and tease. He had always had a lot of energy- that hadn’t disappeared. But Eddie had grown up too. Elle had to look up at Eddie’s 5’8 frame, and she had noticed the development of more muscles that he hadn’t had as a preteen. Eddie had grown up perfectly in Elle’s eyes. She realized she was staring when his brown eyes met hers again, and she flicked her eyes away right away, a blush building on her cheeks.   
She heard Eddie clear his throat, and he asked, “Who wants a ride home?” Elle hadn’t realized that the school yard was emptying until now.   
Stan and Richie had smiled and raised their hands right away, but Bill and Elle shook their heads. They had biked here this morning, Bill on his Silver, Elle on the pale blue bike she had found from the same shop Bill got his, months later and in slightly better shape.   
Eddie pulled the keys to his car out of his front pocket then, and Elle knew it was time to go.   
“Are we meeting up tomorrow?” Richie asked, learning over to clasp Bill on the shoulder and grin at Elle.   
“S-s-sure, we c-can all g-ge-get t-to-gether in the a-aft-aftertoon,” Bill nodded, making planning easier. Without Bill, Elle knew the group would have some severe issues with timing and planning.   
Stan smiled and nodded, waving as he moved towards the parking lot, Richie in tow. They were headed towards Eddie’s car.   
Elle glanced up at Eddie and the corners of her mouth twitched up. “Thanks,” she smiled up at him.   
Eddie’s eyes looked into hers again, and she watched a pale pink color his pale face. “I didn’t do anything-” he started, but Elle bumped his arm with her shoulder.   
“But you would have.”   
Eddie was quiet for a moment, thinking. His cheeks had started to burn a light pink color.  
“I just don’t trust them, especially when Bowers…”   
Elle knew what he was talking about. Especially when Bowers grabbed himself and called her princess.   
She nodded, and broke eye contact. She could sense him still looking at her, but that too was broken when Richie screamed from the side of Eddie’s car.   
“COME ON, EDS. COME ONNNN!”  
Bill, Elle and Eddie couldn’t help but watch as Richie waved his arms at them.   
“Guess that’s my cue,” Eddie grinned from beside her, adjusting his backpack on his shoulder and waving to the both of them as he backed up and turned towards his car. Eddie held eye contact with Elle until he turned around, and then he started to run towards Stan and Richie, who were yelling at him. Eddie joined the yelling as he ran, and the three of them were all Bill and Elle could hear as they turned towards the bike racks.   
They were quiet at first, listening to their friend’s whooping and hollering and the sound Elle identified as Eddie’s car starting up.   
“Y-you know w-we’d n-ne-never let B-b-bowers go n-near you, r-right?”   
Elle nodded, reaching to her brother to link their arms together. The angle was odd, especially given the extreme height difference, but they both found comfort in the gesture.   
“I know,” she replied simply. After a moment longer, she added, “I’d never let him get near you or any of the others either. I’ve been dying to hit him in the nose this whole year, ya know.” She really meant it. What she would do to get one free shot…   
She didn’t have to look up to know Bill was smiling.   
“I th-thought E-e-eddie was going to do t-that when B-Bowers looked at you t-the first t-time.”   
Elle felt heat rise in her cheeks again, and shoved Bill with her shoulder. “You ass.”   
Bill laughed. A hearty, full laugh, and Elle couldn’t remember the last time she heard him laugh like that.   
“W-w-whate-ever,” Bill grinned as they neared their bikes.  
Elle brushed her hair behind her ear with her free hand and smiled to herself. “I think this is going to be a good summer,” she told Bill, and he nodded. They let their linked arms drop when they got to their bikes, and Elle looked up at Bill. His brown eyes weren’t as they had been minutes ago with the guys. They had a sad look in them, and his smile faded a little.   
“I h-hope s-so. We d-du-deserve it.”   
Elle didn’t have to ask what he was talking about. The two of them mounted their bikes and raced into the street, which was now emptied of cars belonging to students. Together they raced towards home, each wondering what this summer would hold. They knew it was going to be different than previous summers, but they had no idea just how different.


	3. Pepsi and Elvis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie calls upon Elle to help him escape his overbearing home life.

Elle and Bill rode down the streets of Derry on their bikes, enjoying the first hour of their summer break, even if it had been a rough start. 

Elle pushed the thought of Bowers and his dumbass buddies from her head. 

Instead, she focused on riding her bike, trailing behind her brother. Her long blonde hair whipped around in the wind, and her cheeks grew pink as the wind burned them. From her position behind Bill she could hear him talking to himself. It wasn’t unusual for her to hear that. Their mom has taught Bill a phrase to help him with his stutter, and he practiced all the time. Elle didn’t like to let him know she could hear him; she didn’t want to put any pressure on him to get it right. Usually if Bill knew he was being watched it would get worse. 

She followed her brother as they turned onto their street and their house came into view. Bill had started to slow as they approached the driveway, and Elle copied him. Bill turned his head as he came to a stop, his brown hair in his eyes. 

“I’m g-gonna b-b-be in the g-ga-garage for a b-bit,” he told her, breaking eye contact to dismount from Silver. “We still g-go-going to w-wa-watch the m-mu-movie later?” 

Elle smiled and nodded to her brother. “Of course. At seven?” she suggested, and Bill nodded before steering Silver towards the garage. 

Elle watched him for a moment, wondering what Bill was up to. He had never been interested in anything in the garage before, but Elle supposed he had gotten another one of his famous ideas. She giggled at the thought, and let her bike fall against the side of the house. She quickly climbed the stairs and entered the house. She could see her mom in the piano room, seated on the bench but not playing. Elle slipped her shoes off quietly, and zipped into the kitchen as quietly as she could. The sound of a piano melody soon filled the empty rooms of the house, and Elle leaned against the kitchen counter, backpack discarded at her feet. She loved listening to her mom play, but lately she seemed to wait for the house to empty before she would even glance at the shining black piano that had once been her pride and joy. 

Elle was snapped out of her thoughts as the telephone rang from the kitchen counter. Not wanting her mom to hear it and stop playing, Elle grabbed for it and answered breathlessly. 

“Hello?” 

“Hey,” the voice on the other end of the line greeted, and she could almost hear his smile through the phone. “If the biking winded you that much you should have accepted a ride home.” 

“Shut up, Eddie,” she found herself giggling again, and mentally scolded herself for being so damn transparent. At this rate, if Eddie didn’t know she had feelings for him, he would soon. 

“What’re you and Bill doing?” 

Elle thought for a moment. “I’m not doing anything but Bill said he was working in the garage for a bit.” 

“Do you want to come with me to get some Pepsi?” Eddie asked, and then lowered his voice. “My mom is driving me up the fucking wall and I’ve only been home for five minutes.” Elle could sympathise. Once she had snuck into Eddie’s house in the evening so she could escape the silent despair that was her house, and she had listened to Mrs. Kaspbrak scold poor Eddie for almost 10 minutes straight. It was “Eddie, Pepsi gives you cancer,” and “Eddie I think you've been spending way too much time with those kids. You know they’re no good for you”. 

Elle nodded, but blushed as she realized Eddie couldn’t see her. “Sure, I’ll meet you in front of the corner store?” The corner store was in a strip mall, but that didn’t stop the entire population of Derry from calling it the “corner store”. It was loaded with pop, candy, magazines, and almost anything else you could have possibly wanted. Their gang almost always stopped there when they got together. 

“I can come get you?” Eddie offered, but his voice cracked in the middle of the sentence and Elle could clearly picture his reddened face and scowl. 

“S’alright, I could use a walk,” she giggled. “I’ll be there in 10?” 

“Sure,” Eddie agreed. The line was silent for a moment, and Elle wondered if she had missed him hanging up when he spoke up again. “Just so you know it’s just us going.” 

It was Elle’s turn to be quiet. Why would he tell her that? And why wouldn’t he invite any of the guys? They were probably busy. 

“Okay,” she said finally. 

“Okay,” Eddie repeated. “See you in 10.” Then he hung up. 

She stood there for a moment, still holding the phone against her ear. 

“What a weirdo..” she mumbled to herself, hanging the phone up. She took a moment to race upstairs, bag in hand, and check her appearance in the mirror. She brushed out her hair, and stared at her white top in the mirror. Should she change it? Eddie probably wouldn’t have changed out of what he wore to school. She decided against it and pulled her little wallet filled with coins from her backpack, shoved it in her back pocket, and headed down the stairs. Her mom was in the kitchen with a glass of red wine. 

“I’m walking to the corner store!” She called out to her mom. She watched her glance up and frown, worry lines etched across her forehead.

“Alone? You know you should really ask Bill to go with you with all that’s been happening…” Elle knew she was referring to the missing kids. It hadn’t just been Georgie, but he seemed to be the first of the 8 of them… or was it up to 9 now? Sometimes her and Bill would talk about it at night.

“I’m meeting Eddie there in 10 minutes.” She watched her mom’s frown turn into a knowing smile, and she nodded. “Be back for dinner.” 

Then Elle was out the door. 

  
  


She had only been walking for 5 minutes before she was in Derry’s downtown. She had been nervously speed walking, but hadn’t realized it until she was passing the little shops. As she walked she window shopped, glancing at the trinkets and displays in the front windows of the stores. She paused for a moment near the pet store, watching the kittens in the window squirm and play with one another. This had been Georgie’s favorite store to come into. He loved watching all the little puppies and kittens play. 

She took a few steps further down the sidewalk, keeping an eye on the kittens until she felt a bike tire run into her leg. She was familiar with the feeling because of Richie and his 8th grade pestering when he had gotten new bike tires and had wanted everybody to “feel them”.

“Sorry!” 

“Sorry!” 

Elle and the stranger had spoken at the same time, and only then did she look at him. She had never seen him around, though he looked around her age. He held the grips of his bike in his hands, brown eyes wide and he looked scared for her reaction. 

“You’re fine-” Elle smiled a bit, stepping back from his bike tire and eyeing him. 

The kid smiled at her, and then seemed to realize she was waiting for him to say something. “I’m Mike,” he spoke quickly, and in a way that made him seem much older and wiser than Elle. He had short, dark brown hair that you could see was very curly, and looking at him now she thought she could remember seeing him at some point around town.

“I’m Elle,” she returned, sending him a kind smile. The two of them stared at one another for a second more before she added in, “I like your bike.” It was a tall bike, like Bill’s, but it had a full basket on the front and was painted a lovely red color. 

“Thanks,” Mike smiled back at her. His eyes seemed kind to her, and Elle felt as though she could trust him. “I’ve got to finish errands but it was nice to meet you.” 

Elle watched him mount his bike and she stepped aside. “Where do you live? I’ve never seen you around before.” 

“The Hanlon farm, with my grandpa,” he answered, pushing forward and dropping off the curb. The wrapped packages in his basket looked ready to fall out, but miraculously they remained. “See you Elle!” 

Then he was off. Elle watched him speed down the main street and turn off before she started walking again. She only walked another block before she came upon a parking lot, where she could easily spot Eddie’s blue car among the dull silver and black cars in the lot. She picked up her pace, unconsciously straightening out her white top as she approached Eddie’s car. The driver’s seat was empty, as was the rest of the car. She could feel a frown pull her lips down, and her eyes scanned nervously over the parking lot. Bower’s threat bounced around in her eyes, about making the summer a “hurt train”. If Bowers had dared hurt Eddie- 

The bells thudded against the front door of the corner store and Elle glanced up, her fears melting as she watched Eddie glance into the store and wish the cashier a good day, two Pepsi bottles in hand. She felt her heart jump as she realized Eddie had bought her Pepsi already. 

“Hey!” She called out, catching his attention. She watched his brown eyes flicker to hers, and his face seemed to light up. A grin spread across his pink lips, revealing his perfect teeth. Eddie had done a lot of growing up in the time she had known him. She had been there when he cut himself after shaving for the first time, and listened to him explain to the group how his mother had actually cried when she found out he shaved and told him to stop growing up. He stood 6 inches taller than Elle, had started tucking his shirt in at school, and had started packing his inhalers into his backpack instead of the fanny pack he used to wear around. When they were out and about without bags the fanny pack made a reappearance, but Eddie seemed a little more embarrassed now to carry his inhalers and medications around his slim waist. He had grown lots, but remained the smallest of the guys. Even Stan had muscled up a little more than Eddie, but it wasn’t obvious unless you paid attention. Elle always paid attention. 

“Hey,” Eddie returned her greeting, chuckling a little as he handed her Pepsi over. “That was a long ten minutes.” 

Elle felt her face redden and realized her interactions with her mom and Mike had made her late. “I had to get prettied up, Eds. Don’t judge me,” she teased, smiling sheepishly. “Thanks for the Pepsi. I’ll get next time.” 

It was quiet for a moment, and the two of them moved to lean against Eddie’s car, although they were big enough that it really just looked like they were sitting on the edge of the hood. 

“You’re always pretty, you don’t have to try,” Eddie spoke finally, cracking open his Pepsi with a hiss. “And I wanted to get it, least I could do for bothering you.” 

Elle felt her face redden again at his comment. It wasn’t unusual for him to compliment her, but it had never been so blatantly said before. “Thanks,” she spoke quietly, and wasn’t sure if she was thanking him for the compliment or the drink. She cracked open her Pepsi next, watching it fizz and start to run over the top of the glass bottle. She shrieked a little and held the pop away from her white top, knowing her mom would kill her if she came home with it stained. 

Eddie broke into a laughing fit as he watched it run over, and Elle tried desperately to try to tip the bottle to her lips without spilling onto herself to get rid of some of the bubbles. He had shook her bottle. 

“Asshole!” Elle gurgled, Pepsi flowing into her mouth from the still agitated bottle. She licked the top of the bottle off, watching as the pop began to settle down. A small smile grew on her lips and she wiped at her chin, looking up and over to Eddie. She didn’t realize he had been watching her as closely as he had, his brown eyes wide and red creeping onto his cheeks. His smile remained, but his eyes shifted elsewhere as he cleared his throat. What Elle didn’t realize was that Eddie was embarrassed having been caught watching her try to catch the Pepsi in her mouth, licking the top of the bottle. Eddie’s thoughts had wondered somewhere Richie would tease him endlessly for, and he shifted his weight against his car as he felt the weight of his thoughts settle in his lower stomach.  _ Please no… _ he was thinking, trying not to look at Elle and her big grey eyes.  _ Please not now.  _

Elle watched him for a moment, boosting herself up to sit on the hood of his car, legs dangling off the ground. “So how’s home?” She broke the silence, unaware of Eddie’s thoughts. If she had realized, her face probably would have turned as red as Mike’s bike had been, and she probably would have combusted. 

Thankful for the change in topic, Eddie leaned further back on his car, now holding his Pepsi low in his lap as a precaution. “Same old,” he started. “She’s talking about this summer and she said I shouldn’t hang out with you guys again,” he frowned. 

Elle mirrored his expression, her eyes on her shoes. “How come?” she asked right away, and then added, “Are you going to listen?” 

It was quiet for another moment. Eddie sighed, and Elle watched his chest rise and fall out of the corner of her eyes. “I never listen,” he started. “I would never leave any of you. She just thinks I’m going to get hurt or killed or something like that. Same old, ya know?” 

Elle knew something like that would come out of his mouth. Mrs. Kaspbrak had a way of making anything sound dangerous. 

Going for a walk? You could trip, fall, hit your head and have an aneurysm in your brain. 

Eddie wanted to drive to school? He could get distracted by those awful friends and end up mangled in a horrible accident. 

“Well Bowers definately made it seem like we’d all get hurt and killed,” She spoke before she knew what she was going to say, but she didn’t try to correct herself. 

She watched Eddie’s chest rise and fall again as he sighed. “We probably will,” he frowned, and suddenly Elle was aware of his eyes on hers. She pulled her attention away from her shoes and looked up into his warm brown eyes. They flickered as Eddie looked between her eyes. “I know this might sound dumb but... “ he hesitated. “Can I please pick you up from now on if you’re not with Bill? I don’t like the thought of you being alone.” He had meant the last part to be in his head, and blushed profusely, breaking eye contact. 

Elle could feel her pulse quicken as she continued to stare at Eddie. She knew it was just a friendly offer, but she couldn’t help but mirror his red complexion. “Sure, Eds,” she nodded, her voice coming out an octave higher than she had meant it to. She knew Eddie cared for her, he had shown that time and time again, but she couldn’t help but attach special meaning to this request. 

Eddie had meant it in a friendly way, but he also wanted an excuse to pick her up sometimes. They sat in silence for another moment, and Eddie now felt it was relatively safe to move his Pepsi from his lap to take his first drink. 

Elle and Eddie remained in the parking lot for another hour, their conversation filled with stories reminiscing the past school year. They spoke of Richie’s smart mouth getting them all in trouble in the hallway; Bill’s improving stutter; Stan’s idea to take the lightbulb out of the projector at the beginning of class so the projector wouldn’t work. Eddie reminded Elle of her leaving the faucet on in the girl’s bathroom one day, which had flooded the bathroom and leaked out into the hall, where kids started slipping and sliding. Elle blushed as Eddie laughed with her, and brought up the time where he left a full bottle of pop in his car over the winter, only for it to explode, resulting in hours of cleaning that Eddie and an amused but empathetic Elle had done afterwards. 

Elle and Eddie had always fallen into conversation easily, or into silence that was never awkward. The two of them had always seemed to have clicked in a special way that the rest of the group had not, and the two of them were always the most comfortable with one another. 

Their conversation had gone on for hours by the time their conversation was broken by the beeping of Eddie’s watch, signaling his 5:30 medication that he always took. 

“Shit, I have to be home for dinner,” Elle cursed, pushing herself off the hood of Eddie’s car in alarm. Eddie too stood up, and took the empty bottle out of her hand. His longer legs carried him over to the trash can and back, and by then Elle had gotten comfortable in the passenger seat of his car. His car smelled like him- clean, and with a hint of the cologne he wore on special occasions. 

_ His cologne.  _

_ He’s wearing his cologne.  _

Elle wracked her mind for reasons Eddie would be wearing his cologne, and listened as the engine roared to life. Was this a special occasion to him? 

Eddie’s hand brushed her thigh as he grabbed the gear shift, and he mumbled a small, embarrassed “sorry” as he put his arm behind her seat to reverse properly. 

Elle  _ really  _ hoped this was a special occasion to him. It always was to her. 

Eddie pulled out of the parking lot and turned onto the main street in Derry. 

“Seatbelt,” he reminded her, eyes darting from the road to her as he watched her do up the seatbelt and adjust the shoulder strap so it ran between her breasts. 

_ Bill would kill you,  _ his mind spoke to him. Eddie returned his eyes to the road, and was aware of the return of the feeling he had felt in the parking lot. Except now he didn’t have a Pepsi bottle to try to disguise it. 

Elle probably wouldn’t have noticed anyway, her eyes watched the scenery race by. Not exactly race, as Eddie was doing a few miles per hour under the speed limit, as usual. 

“What do you think we’ll do tomorrow?” she asked him, turning to look at him as he drove. He signalled to turn, and Elle was aware they were drawing closer and closer to her house. 

“Bill will probably have a good idea, Ellie” Eddie smiled. “He always does.”

Elle hummed in agreement, nodding her head as she moved to turn on the radio. A smile spread across her face at the use of the nickname that only Eddie used. When they had first met when they were really young, they had been wearing name tags in class on the first day of school. Elle had written her name properly on her tag, but Eddie had come up to introduce himself and read it as “ELL-E”, and had called her Ellie for the first week before Bill corrected him.

A smile grew on her pink lips as she listened to the song.

Elvis Presley was on the radio crooning about falling in love. 

_ How perfect _ , Elle thought to herself. She watched a smile spread across Eddie’s face too, and they turned onto her street. 

_ Like a river flows so surely to the sea _

_ Darling so it goes _

_ Some things are meant to be _

Elle hummed along. Eddie knew she had a love for the music of Elvis, ABBA, and Elton John, but he’d never been able to sit with her and listen to her voice, just the two of them. He loved her singing voice, but listening to her hum seemed more intimate in the moment. He took his foot off the gas pedal and the car began to slow as they rolled up to her house. He glanced over to her hands folded in her lap and wished he could reach over and hold her hand. 

_ Take my hand  _

_ Take my whole life too  _

Elle felt her heart begin to race as they pulled up to her house. Eddie’s hand brushed by her thigh as he put the car in park, but this time Elle felt that it wasn’t an accident. The car stopped and the two of them sat for a moment before Eddie cleared his throat. Although he hadn’t said anything earlier, he had to be home for dinner too soon, but he didn’t want their time together to end. He knew tomorrow with the guys her attention would be all over the place, and he quite enjoyed having her full attention, as selfish as that sounded. 

Elle glanced up at him from the passenger seat, her fingers moving nimbly to undo the seat belt. Her right hand moved to the door, and she popped the door open. She didn’t get out though. Her heart pounding in her ears, she learned towards Eddie and for a moment Eddie thought she was going to kiss him. Then she turned her head slightly and she did kiss him on the cheek. Eddie felt his entire face flush and he bit his lip to keep from grinning. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Eds,” Elle drew back, turning immediately to the door to hide her face that she was sure was as hot as the sun. She opened the door, slipped out, and closed it behind her. She started up the steps as Eddie watched, and only turned briefly to send Eddie a little wave, which was returned. She was hoping he wouldn’t see her face, but he did. It very much resembled his own.

_ For I can’t help _

_ Falling in love with you _

Elvis sang on, and Eddie watched Elle ascend the steps as the song began to end. His cheek burned hot where her lips had been seconds earlier. 

Elle slipped into the house, waved to Eddie again, and closed the door behind her. 

Eddie put his car into drive and drove home slowly, taking the long way. 

  
  


_ For I can’t help  _

_ Falling in love with you _

Eddie would go home to have dinner with his mom, not really paying attention. He would watch TV the same way, and have trouble falling asleep that night because of his racing mind. 

Elle would sit down to dinner with her family, the fifth chair still empty. Bill would sit next to her at 7 to watch a comedy starring John Candy, “The Great Outdoors”. Bill would laugh and whoop as they watched, and Elle would giggle, but would be too preoccupied with her thoughts to really pay attention. She hoped it wouldn’t be awkward tomorrow, and spent the night worrying until sleep finally pulled her under. 

  
  
  


Unbeknownst to Elle, this was the day that both Mike Hanlon and Stan Uris had their first encounter with It. 

  
  



	4. Rolling in the Deep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bill leads the group on a mission, but they don't find who they were looking for.

The sun streaming through her bedroom window woke Elle up just after 10 in the morning, and she yawned and stretched in bed as she waited for her body to wake up a little more. She usually never slept in this late, but last night she had had an awful time trying to fall asleep. Thoughts of warm brown eyes and Pepsi raced through her mind, and she groaned as she forced herself out of bed. 

She wasted no time before she headed to the bathroom to shower. She knew that Bill had most likely phoned up Eddie, Stan and Richie by now and arranged a time, and she knew Bill never liked to wait. Something about him last night made her think that he was up to something. 

She showered quickly, washing her hair and shaving her legs before stepping out and wrapping both her hair and body in towels. The mirror had fogged up during her shower, and only now did she look at it. Two large eyes were drawn in the fog, water droplets falling from them like tears. Elle felt a shiver roll down her spine regardless of how hot it was in the bathroom, and she leaned forward to wipe the mirror clear of the mist. 

_ Bill,  _ she thought.  _ He must have come in for something while I was showering and I didn’t notice.  _

Elle cracked the bathroom door open and goosebumps immediately covered her body because of the change in temperature. Bill was sitting at his desk, shirtless, and he turned around as Elle emerged from the bathroom. 

“F-f-finally!” he sighed loudly, standing and grabbing a towel from the back of his chair. “I th-thought you d-dr-drowned in t-there,” he joked, approaching her and then brushing past her to get into the bathroom. “I t-told the guys w-we’d meet at E-E-Eddie’s place in an h-hour.” 

Elle nodded, her eyes widening as she glanced into Bill’s room and located his clock. 

_ 10:45 _ it read. 

Elle sped into her room, closing the door before pulling the towel from her hair. Damp, blonde hair spilled onto her shoulders as she raced into her closet. From what she could see outside, it looked like it was going to be a nice day. She tugged a pair of dark wash high-waisted shorts from her drawer, a black belt, and a slightly oversized black sweatshirt that she was sure had been Bill’s at one point. She pulled the towel from her body and let it fall to the floor. She tugged on a pair of baby blue panties and found a black bralette in her drawer before she started to dress. She tucked the sweatshirt into her shorts and  [ grinned at her reflection in the mirror. ](https://www.google.ca/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fbr.pinterest.com%2Fpin%2F521925044307893073%2F&psig=AOvVaw3gUAHVSTNBewmfBIRaGEbE&ust=1585460147767000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCIDPns65vOgCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAF) It wasn’t often she wore shorts, especially around the guys, but today seemed like a shorts day to her. 

Her hair was in the process of drying still, little waves beginning to form in her light hair. She stood in front of her mirror and took her time applying some light, peach colored eyeshadow, mascara, and a little bit of blush. She didn’t like to wear much for makeup, and felt like a cake when she put anything more than this on. She eyed her reflection for another moment, taking pride in the way she looked. 

She didn’t like to come off as arrogant or vain, but she liked to look decent for her friends. Plus if she looked like a mess it would probably only come back as rumors… 

_ Look at what a slob she is, running around with all those boys, or _

_ What an awful young lady. She shouldn’t be out looking like that with all those boys. _

In the mirror she could see a flash of bright yellow from behind her and jumped, turning around quickly. Her breathing had picked up and her eyes scanned over her room. It appeared empty, although from within the reflection it sure looked like something had been in her room just a moment ago.

“Bill?” She called out down the hall. Surely Bill had just left the bathroom. That would explain it. 

“Yeah?” he called back, and she watched his bedroom door open before he stepped into the hall in a pair of jean shorts and a t-shirt. Elle let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding and she walked down the hall towards him.

“Just wanted to make sure you were out so I could brush my teeth,” she lied, although she did have to brush her teeth. Bill disappeared back into his room and Elle ducked into the bathroom, her body covered in goosebumps.

  
  


By the time Bill was ready, Elle had been sitting downstairs at the dining room table for 15 minutes. She had finished toast, an apple, and a glass of orange juice as she watched the clock get dangerously close to the time they should be leaving to get to Eddie’s on time. Elle knew Stan would probably be at least 5 minutes early, and if they were lucky Stan would have gotten Richie on the way so he wouldn’t be late. 

Bill came into the kitchen with a backpack over one shoulder, his hair combed neatly to one side, and grabbed an apple. 

“R-ready?” he asked, already headed towards the front door. Elle put her glass in the sink as she followed him, but Bill was already out the front door talking to their parents, who were having their coffee together on the front step. Elle slipped into a pair of black Keds- her favorite shoes. She was just about to leave when her bag caught her eye. It was a tiny bag, and Richie often teased her for having a “purse”, but it contained her inhaler and a little bit of cash. You never knew when you would need either of those things. She slipped it across her body so that the bag rested just above her hip, and stepped out into a warm summer day.

  
  


Elle closed the door behind her as she stepped out into the sun, a smile settling on her face. It was warm, but not too warm to be wearing a sweatshirt. She said goodbye to her parents and promised they would be home for dinner time before she followed Bill to their bikes, which leant up against the side of the house. 

“R-ready?” Bill asked, pulling Silver away from the wall of the house.

“Yeah,” she nodded, copying him and waving goodbye to their parents. Elle watched Bill’s face as he adjusted his backpack and could nearly see all the gears turning in there. She knew he had some kind of idea. They mounted their bikes and were off, Bill calling out his famous “Hi-ho, silver!” as they took off down the street. 

They made it to Eddie’s place just on time, and left their bikes in the front yard amongst Eddie’s, Richie’s and Stan’s. Bill knocked on the door, which was answered by a smiling Stan. They followed him into the house, passing Mrs. Kaspbrak, who was in the living room watching one of her game shows. 

“Hi Mrs. Kaspbrak,” Bill and Elle said together as they passed, Elle waving to the woman who only glanced at them and nodded before turning back to her gameshow. 

Eddie and Richie were arguing in the kitchen. 

“Don’t take the Delicious Deals, Rich- my mom loves them,” Eddie frowned, taking the sweets out of Richie’s backpack. Richie was raiding the Kaspbrak’s cupboard for snacks for the group, much to Eddie’s displeasure. Eddie stood back and watched, leaning against the counter as the taller, curly-haired boy took the Delicious Deals back out and stuffed them back into his bag. 

With a sign, Eddie turned his attention to the three people entering the kitchen, and he thought his eyes would bug out of his head when he saw Elle enter in those little high-waisted shorts. Elle’s eyes met Eddie’s and she smiled sweetly at him, watching his eyes move down and then quickly back up to her eyes. A blush crept onto his cheeks, and he looked back to Richie, who continued to raid, now with Bill’s help. 

Elle took this opportunity to look at Eddie, who was wearing a striped t-shirt and a pair of jean shorts, much like Bill’s. His fanny pack was around his waist, and his fingers absentmindedly fiddled with the zipper. 

“Woah, how long are we going out for?” Stan asked, eyeing the bag of food Richie had foraged. 

“You never know what could happen,” Richie shrugged, turning from the bag to look at the group. “Nice legs,” he complimented when he saw Elle’s shorts. “You look like a pasty ghost.” 

Elle stepped up to punch his shoulder, and watched with an amused look on her face as Richie recoiled and grabbed at his arm as if a 400-pound wrestler had punched him. 

“Ohhhh my God, it’s broken,” he gasped out, bumping into the kitchen cabinets and sliding to the floor, nursing his “broken” arm. Elle rolled her eyes and nudged his leg with her foot. 

“Stop emptying the cabinets and get your shit together,” Elle shrugged, and Richie mimicked an expression that Danny would have worn when Sandy walked out on him in the drive-in movie. Richie hauled himself off the floor and zipped up his bag. 

“Whatever you don’t eat you put back after,” Stan frowned, making Elle smile. Leave it to Stan to organize the trip. Richie only sighed, but they all knew that he would end up listening. 

“Where are we headed anyway?” Eddie spoke up, finally tearing his eyes away from Elle long enough to form a sentence. It was a general question, but everybody looked to Bill for an answer. 

“The B-Barrens,” Bill said simply. “I ha-have an idea b-but I c-can’t explain it t-ti-till we’re th-there.” 

The room was quiet for a moment before Stan spoke up, “What if we get caught out in the Barrens? It’s summer now and the cops are going to be out more than usual.” 

Once again, everybody looked to Bill. “The B-Barrens are p-public works. We’re the p-pu-public, aren’t we?” 

The logic seemed sound enough, and Stan nodded, satisfied with the answer. 

“Hey, these your birth control pills, Eddie?” Richie’s voice penetrated the peaceful silence, and Elle turned to look at him. Richie had opened what was obviously a medication cabinet, which was overflowing with containers. 

Eddie frowned and took a step towards Richie, slapping his hands away and closing the cabinet. “Yeah, and I’m saving them for your sister,” he snapped, scowling at Richie.

_ Eddie never missed a beat, _ Elle smiled proudly.

“Are you sure you aren’t saving them for somebody else’s sister?” Richie’s tongue was quick, and his eyes, magnified by his thick glasses, fell on Bill, then Elle. A smirk played across his face as he turned to Eddie and wiggled his eyebrows.

Surprisingly, Bill was the one to reach over and sock Richie on the arm this time. “Watch it, f-fu-fuck-face,” he warned, barely stuttering.

The room was silent for a moment. Richie, clutching his arm because of a punch that really did hurt this time. Stan stood, eyes wide and watching Bill’s face. Elle glanced to Eddie, who sported a face as red as the flannel on Richie’s shirt. 

It was Stan who cleared his throat. “Alright, if you’re done fighting about who’s doing who, we should get going.” 

The group silently trailed down the hallway, past the living room where Mrs. Kaspbrak was still watching her show. A wave of “Bye, Mrs. Kaspbrak”s came from them as they passed by and out the front door. Eddie, Bill and Richie got stopped by Mrs. Kaspbrak, and Elle followed Stan out into the yard. 

“What do you think we’re doing in the Barrens?” Stan wondered, grabbing his handlebars and kicking off the kickstand. Stan was always the only one to use his kickstand. 

Elle thought for a moment as she stooped to pick her bike up from the ground. “I’m not sure, but he was in the garage doing something for hours last night.”

Stan nodded, and the two of them watched Richie stumble from the front door with a shit-eating grin on his face before Eddie emerged and socked him in the arm again. 

“She wanted one last night-” Richie laughed, Eddie moving to punch him again. Stan made eye contact with her, and the two of them stifled laughter as they thought about what might have gone on in there. 

The five of them zipped through the streets of Derry at speeds that would have worried their parents, and blew through intersections without looking. 

Except Eddie. Eddie always looked first. 

It wasn’t long until the Barrens came into view. They stashed their bikes away in their usual spot and began the trek to wherever Bill was taking them. Bill led the crew, followed by Richie, Elle, Eddie, and Stan. They listened to Richie do his voices as they walked, and Elle sometimes cringed when he did an especially bad one. Richie had a way of not allowing silence to settle for too long, and by the time Bill stopped, Elle felt a headache coming on. 

They had stopped along the river that ran through the Barrens, which was beautiful but seething with grey water. Bill and Richie dropped their bags on the rocks, and Elle glanced around. They had stopped near a large opening that she knew lead to the sewers, and she- 

“ _ Bill _ ,” she gasped, head snapping to her brother, who was crouching on the ground as he pulled flashlights out of his bag. 

She could hear Eddie and Stan talking about poison ivy behind her, but her mind was too occupied with why they were at the sewer entrance. She had a small idea. One night, months ago, Bill had come into her room crying about Georgie. The two of them had talked for hours before Bill asked Elle where she thought Georgie was. She had told him she didn’t know, but Bill already had an idea about where Georgie could be. He had told her about going out to measure the opening on the street to the sewer, and confessed that he thought maybe Georgie had gone in after the boat. 

Bill glanced up to his sister, and didn’t look away. To Richie it looked like they were communicating telepathically, and if Richie believed it was possible, it would have been confirmed when Elle flatly said, “No.” 

“Yes,” Bill immediately snapped back. “This is the only place he could be.” 

Elle and Bill held eye contact for a moment before Bill handed a flashlight to Eddie. 

“Alright, so this is a sewer adventure?” Richie asked, a grin spreading across his face and a sparkle in his eye. It was very hard to turn Richie off of anything, no matter how disgusting it was. At this moment Stan and Eddie clued back into the conversation. 

Elle watched Bill and Richie head towards the large pipe, her nose crinkled when Richie took his first step into the murky water. She followed behind them, Stan and Eddie behind her, but the three of them stopped outside the pipe and watched Bill and Richie turn on their flashlights and start into the tunnels. 

“Okay, I’m starting to get itchy now, and I’m pretty sure this is not good for my-” Eddie started, but Richie cut him off. 

“Do you use the same bathroom as your mother?” Elle stared at Richie, bewildered at what this had to do with anything. From behind Richie she could see Bill go further into the sewers, and she felt terribly uncomfortable at the thought of Bill being in there.

In the dark.

Lost. 

Elle could hear Richie make a joke about crabs to Eddie, but she remained focused on Bill, who was shining his flashlight down a tunnel that branched off the one he was in now.

“Bill,  _ come on _ . Dad said the sewers are a maze, remember?” Elle begged, watching her brother turn to face her. 

“Plus this is all grey water,” Eddie added, and Elle felt his arm brush against hers when he briefly lost balance stepping back from the sewers. Elle knew how uncomfortable Eddie must feel, and she glanced at him. He did not look at all happy to be near the sewers, and neither did Stan. 

“The fuck is grey water?” Richie asked, finding a floating stick and picking it up. Attached to it was a wad of what Elle guessed was toilet paper. 

_ Oh God, Richie…  _

“It’s basically shit and piss. So I’m just telling you, you guys are splashing around in millions of gallons of Derry pee. So…” Eddie trailed off, taking another step back from the sewers. The smell hit Elle for the first time, and she could feel the toast and apple in her stomach begging to come up. She too stepped back from the tunnel, just as Richie brought the stick up to his nose and took an audible sniff. Elle could hear Eddie gag beside her, and she reached out to put a comforting hand on his arm. She thought about the last time they touched and she blushed, remembering kissing his cheek yesterday. His cheek felt so warm when she kissed it, and when she pulled back all she could see was his red face… 

Stan’s swearing brought her out of this memory. “Fuck, Richie- that’s disgusting-” 

Richie tossed the stick towards the three of them, laughing maniacally. “Doesn’t smell like caca to me, señor!” he called out in the voice he called his “Pancho” accent. 

Elle could feel Eddie’s arm move when he gagged again. “I can literally smell that from here you idiot!” he yelled at Richie, who stood in the grey water with the widest grin. 

“Smells even better from in here,” Richie countered. Elle sent a glance past Richie to Bill, who thankfully had moved back towards the group. 

“Have you ever heard of a staph infection?!” Eddie shook his head in disbelief and frustration. Stan had taken more steps back from the sewer after Richie threw the stick, and now stood with his hand against his mouth, looking completely disgusted. Elle couldn’t blame him, she probably looked the same way. 

“Oh, I’ll show you a staph infection,” Richie grinned, kicking grey water towards the trio. Stan was far enough away to be safe, but Elle and Eddie stumbled backwards, Elle bumping into Eddie and then falling flat on her ass in the rocks. 

“For fuck’s sake, both of you get out of there. You’re going to reek so bad-” she narrowed her eyes and scrambled to stand up. Stan moved to help her, but she was up quickly. Her butt hurt from the fall, and she was not about to let Bill and Richie roam the sewers. 

“You two are literally swimming in a toilet bowl right now,” Stan rolled his eyes, clearly fed up with being near the sewers. 

Eddie had wandered closer to the slightly cleaner stream, and was turning around now to walk back towards Elle and Stan. “This is so unsanitary,” Eddie’s voice was strained, almost like this was causing him physical pain. 

From within the tunnel, Richie yelled, “Ever heard of Listeria?” and screamed loudly. Elle jumped at the sudden noise, and Richie suddenly launched something out of the tunnel towards them. Eddie screamed now, and Elle might have laughed if she hadn’t seen Bill’s face. 

Bill held a _ shoe _ in his hand. 

_ A girl’s shoe _ . 

Stan visibly paled. “Don’t tell me that’s Geo-” 

Bill cut him off quickly. “No, Georgie wore galoshes.” He looked to you for confirmation, and you met Stan’s eyes as you nodded. This brought no comfort to any of them though. The shoe belonged to somebody, and Elle’s breath was stuck in her throat as she watched Bill’s face. Richie retreated further into the tunnel to stand by Bill, and both their flashlights illuminated the shoe. Elle, Stan and Eddie had crept up to the entrance again, but hadn’t dared to step into the water. 

“Whose shoe is it?” Eddie asked from her left side, sounding both impatient and scared. Stan, on her right, remained silent, although Elle could hear his heavy breathing. 

Richie glanced up at them, and Elle thought he looked more pale than he had before. 

“It’s Betty Ripsom’s.” 

An uneasy and terrifying silence fell over the five of them. Richie made no faces or jokes or voices, and Bill stood there holding the shoe. Elle could nearly hear her heart pounding inside her chest. Betty was a year younger than them, and she had gone missing not too long after Georgie. If Betty’s shoe was down here, maybe… 

Eddie triggered his inhaler beside her, breathing deeply as his chest tightened. Then he triggered it again, taking a step back. Elle could hear the wheezes he was making as he struggled to breathe.

“Oh, shit. Oh, God. Oh, fuck,” Stan panicked to her other side, his eyes closed as he struggled to regain his compsure. “I don’t like this, I don’t like-” 

Elle didn’t like this either. Her chest tightened and she felt light headed as she thought about her missing brother. 

Richie was the first to recover from the shock. Or maybe he was still in shock. “How do you think Betty feels?” He stood on one foot and hopped around, splashing in the grey water. “Running around these tunnels with only one fucking shoe?” She watched Richie’s eyes scan the group, and he quickly stopped when she saw the frightened expressions on their faces. 

“What if she’s still here?” Elle hadn’t realized she had spoken until she felt four pairs of eyes on her, and the silence seemed to thicken. The sound of splashing started up again when Bill, followed by Richie, retreated further into the tunnels. Their flashlight beams swept side to side in the tunnel. 

“Come on, guys!” Richie called, and Elle took a step forward. She stood just on the edge of the grey water, wondering if this was a good idea. 

_ Of course it wasn’t, but if there was a chance Georgie was in here… _

“My mom will have an aneurysm, okay, if she finds out we were down here,” Eddie replied to Richie from behind her. “I’m serious.” 

Elle watched Bill carry on in the tunnel, getting further away. “Bill?” she called out, moving to step into the water when she felt Eddie grasp her shoulder. She glanced up, and his brown eyes were pleading with her not to go into the water. She took a step back from the water, but Eddie’s hand stayed on her shoulder, almost like he was ready to pull her back if something happened. 

Elle glanced back into the dark, squinting to see Bill. He looked sad, and Elle felt it in her heart that he thought he might find Georgie if he kept going. “I-if I was Betty R-Ripsom, I would w-want us t-to find m-me.” 

_ He has a point…  _

“What if I don’t want to find them? Eddie spoke up, sounding desperately uncomfortable. His grip on her shoulder tightened for a moment. Elle wasn’t shocked that he felt like that. She knew they all probably did to an extent, but she was surprised he had brought it up so easily. ”No offence to anybody, but I don’t want any of us to end up missing like…” He cut himself off, but Elle could guess what he was going to say. 

_ Missing like Georgie.  _

“He has a point,” Stan added in, and Elle watched Bill’s face fall. 

“Y-you too?” he asked, to which Stan only looked guilty. 

“We’re supposed to be having fun. It’s summer. This isn’t fun. This is scary and disgusting.” Stan took a step back from the sewer, his eyes on the gravel to avoid looking to Bill.

Elle frowned. She couldn’t help but agree with Eddie and Stan, as much as she wanted to agree with Bill. She was terrified of finding something terrible in there. And their dad had warned them many,  _ many  _ times about the sewers. Nobody knew where they went. The blueprints had gone missing ages ago, and if they went in there right now there was no telling when they would get out.  _ If they would get out…  _

Bill stared at her pleadingly now, much like Eddie had looked just a moment before. Elle shook her head and gestured for Bill to come out so they could speak, but it wasn’t Elle that convinced them to come out. 

It was the sudden splash that scared the shit out of all of them.

Bill and Richie started out of the tunnel as Stan, Eddie and Elle spun around, eyes wide as they stared at the figure who had collapsed in the stream. The figure was a large boy, gasping for breath on his hands and knees. It sounded like the first time in a while he had stopped to catch his breath. Elle felt Eddie’s hand slip away from her shoulder as she started towards the boy. She recognized him from one of her classes- Ben Hanscom. But the others knew him as “the new kid”. 

Ben attempted to stand back up, and it was obvious he hadn’t seen their group yet. He fell back to his knees, and Elle took in his appearance. He was covered in dirt, blood and pieces of leaves. It looked like he had been through hell and back. She could hear the sounds of the others coming closer behind her, the rocks giving way beneath their feet. 

Richie spoke first. 

“What the hell happened to you?” 

And Elle stepped into the river towards Ben, who flinched and eyed the group nervously. 

_ Oh, Ben… What happened to you?  _


	5. Sticks and Stones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group grows as they complete their rescue mission, with a little assistance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm at the point where I'll be updating every second day regularly. I might update daily sometimes because of the quarantine boredom but every second day at the least! 
> 
> I also wanted to include some songs I listened to while I wrote this chapter! I want to start doing this for every chapter! They're all available on Apple Music, but I'm not sure about Spotify.
> 
> Loser by Jagwar Twin   
> Heroes by David Bowie  
> Holding Out for a Hero by Bonnie Tyler

It hadn’t taken long for their group to become acquainted with Ben Hanscom. 

Through wheezes and coughs Ben had briefed them on being chased by Henry Bowers and his goons. One look at Ben and Elle could tell that they had done a lot more than just chase him. Blood leaked through his shirt on his lower right abdomen, and cuts and bruises littered what they could see of his body. 

_ Poor Ben _ , Elle frowned. Ben had always been nothing but kind to her, and she hated Bowers more than anything in this moment for causing Ben this much pain. A frown had made its home on her lips as she crouched next to Ben in the stream, her Keds soaked through to her toes. Bill stood close behind her, and Richie near him. Stan and Eddie remained on the dry rocks not too far away, worry etched across their faces. 

“That s-son of a b-bi-bitch,” Bill cursed, and Elle knew he was feeling a lot like she was. Angry, frustrated, and most of all helpless. Helpless that Bowers was out there hurting people who didn’t deserve it. 

“Let's get you up, Ben?” Elle suggested, though it came out as more of a question. Ben only nodded in reply, still struggling for breath, and Elle thought for a moment to offer him her inhaler, but she didn’t know enough about it to feel good about offering it to somebody who didn’t have asthma. 

Richie and Bill immediately bent to get Ben’s arms around their necks, and Elle watched Ben flinch when Richie moved too quickly.

_ What did they do to you _ ? 

Bill and Richie got Ben to his feet in a moment and started to help him towards shore. 

Elle positioned herself behind Ben, ready to catch him if Richie or Bill lost their grip, although she wasn’t sure what she could do against Ben, who was much taller than her and quite a bit heavier. 

“Holy shit,” Eddie breathed, his eyes dropping to take in the whole of Ben’s injuries. Sometimes Bill said that Eddie should be a doctor one day, and the rest of the group had agreed that they could see it happening in the future. 

Stan looked between Richie and Bill, who were taking most of Ben’s weight between the two of them. “We can get him to the bikes and get to the pharmacy,” he suggested, and Eddie nodded in agreement. 

Ben’s breath was still ragged and gaspy, but he had settled down a bit from when they had first seen him. Richie moved to get a better grip on Ben’s arm, and Ben groaned as his body was jerked against Richie’s. 

Elle walked around Bill’s body to get a better look at Ben standing up. The wound on his stomach looked like it was still bleeding a ton, and it didn’t look like a small cut either. With all the grey water Ben had run through it needed a good cleaning, as did some of the other cuts on Ben’s body and face. 

“Do you think you can get to the bikes?’ Elle asked Ben, and the new kid’s eyes met hers. His eyes were kind and soft, and Elle couldn’t imagine what he had been through today. 

“Y-yeah,” Ben nodded, taking a little more of his own weight and shifting back and forth. 

“A-allright, lets g-go,” Bill nodded, and the group spread out to support Ben. Bill and Richie kept his arms over their shoulders, Eddie and Elle walked in front of them, and Stan stayed behind them in case they needed some help supporting Ben. 

They carried on this way for what seemed like forever, but it had realistically been 10 minutes or so. Their walk was filled with grunts of pain from Ben, a little bit of panting from Richie and Bill, and Elle nervously looked behind them every 30 seconds on high alert for Bowers. Eddie racked his mind for what he could do to help Ben, but he ended up worrying, like usual. About Ben bleeding out, about blood-borne infections… about AIDS… His mind ran on and on as they walked. 

“I think it’s great we’re helping the new kid, but we also need to think of our own safety!” Eddie shouted over the wind as the group raced across town on their bikes, finally giving a voice to what had been running inside his head for the last 15 minutes. Ben was riding double with Bill, and Elle could see the sweat dripping down Bill’s forehead as he worked to keep his heavy bike moving with the extra weight. Elle stayed next to Bill, watching the others race up ahead. 

Ben held on tightly to Bill’s waist, his head against Bill’s back. Elle could see the red stain that was beginning to form on Bill’s shirt as blood continued to leak from Ben’s wound. 

_ I wonder how we’ll explain that one to our parents…  _

“How’re you feeling?” Elle called out. Ben didn’t move except giving her a thumbs up, and the corners of her mouth twitched up .

_ That’s a good sign.  _

“I mean he’s bleeding all over and you guys know there’s an AIDS epidemic happening right now, as we speak, right?” Eddie carried on. “My mom’s friend in New York City got it by touching a dirty pole and a drop of AIDS blood got into his system through a hangnail.  _ A hangnail! _ ” 

Nobody replied to Eddie’s rant, although Elle knew that all he needed right now was for somebody to tell him they were all going to be fine and to give him a hug. That had calmed him down last week when he had been telling them about the dangers of cleaning up broken glass. A part of Elle disliked Eddie’s mother for feeding his anxiety instead of trying to talk to him about how to do things safer. Last week they had stopped cleaning the glass bare-handed and used brooms and dustpans, and Eddie had only watched nervously instead of continuing to freak out. 

“I mean you can amputate legs and arms, but how do you amputate a waist?” Eddie continued. Elle could hear the stress in his voice. “ _ How do you amputate a waist _ ?”

Their group raced into the alley near the pharmacy just as Eddie was finishing his lecture, and everybody hopped off of their bikes. Elle watched as Stan flipped up his kickstand and let his bike rest on it. Everybody else dropped their bikes to the ground and moved to help Ben off Bill’s and get him seated on a crate nearby. Eddie hung back and watched as Ben leaned against the building from his seated position. 

“You guys know that alleys are known for dirty needles that have AIDS, right?” Eddie spoke up again, arms crossed across his chest. “Do you guys know that?” His eyes searched their faces, but nobody replied. Bill, Richie and Stan were all around Ben, eyeing the boy’s condition. 

“They know,” Elle’s voice came from beside him suddenly and Eddie’s eyes snapped to hers. “We’re all going to be careful, but we’re going to help Ben, right?” She tilted her head to the side, although Eddie could tell it wasn’t a question so much as it was a statement. 

“I know, I just-” Eddie frowned deeply, worry etched across his features.

“We’ll get him fixed up and get out of here, yeah?” 

Eddie’s eyes searched hers for a moment and he nodded. Elle nodded in return and reached out to clasp his hand for a moment. His hand felt warm and smooth in hers, and he squeezed back almost immediately. They held each other for a moment as everybody else watched over Ben, savoring the calm in the chaos.Eddie seemed to relax and his hand loosened on hers for a moment. Elle gave his hand another squeeze and let go, although she began to miss his hand in hers right away.

“Alright, pool your cash,” Elle announced to the group, and everybody immediately dug into their pockets. In the end they came up with a small amount, but enough to get some stuff for Ben. Elle held the cash in her hands and started down the alley towards the front of the pharmacy. 

“Richie, keep an eye on Ben,” Bill spoke up, not a single stutter heard as Bill turned with Stan and Eddie after Elle, who was rounding the corner now. 

Elle was already in the medical supply aisle when Eddie moved in front of her, his eyes racking the shelves in search of the things they needed. She was aware of Bill and Stan beside her, but the two of them only watched Eddie and Elle as they started to gather materials. 

Bill trusted the two of them with this. Eddie for obvious reasons, but Elle had always been the one with the first aid kid when he or Georgie had gotten hurt, or even their parents. She had a special interest in it and seemed to get excited when it was time to break out the bandages. Elle even fixed up some of the guys- Stan had cut his ankle last year on glass in the Barrens and Elle had done a fine job of wrapping his ankle and stopping the bleeding on her own, with Eddie being sick that day. 

“What do you think?” Elle directed her question at Eddie. 

Eddie’s eyebrows furrowed together and he glanced between products before he stooped and grabbed for multiple things at once. By the time he stood straight again he had a pile in his arms that Elle was sure would cost more than the small amount of money in her hands. 

Bill and Stan seemed to read her mind as they patted down their pockets for any more change, and they both came up with nothing more than they had already given. 

“Are you kidding me?” Eddie asked, sound exasperated and dramatic. 

“You have an account here, don’t you?” Bill asked, sounding hopefully. 

Eddie was quick to shake his head. “If my mom finds out I bought all this stuff I’ll spend my weekend in the hospital getting X-rayed.” 

The four of them were silent as Elle stepped back towards Eddie, looking through the pile in his arms. She pulled a second package of antiseptic solution and put it back, and took a tension gauze away too. She left a few packages of thick gauze pads, medical tape, one pack of antiseptic solution, and adhesive gauze. She looked to Bill hopefully, but he frowned in doubt. 

“Dammit,” Elle cursed, glancing up to Eddie. He too stared at the pile in his arms, wondering what they could do without. “I don’t know what to do-” she frowned. The things that were left were things that they needed. Without the antiseptic they risk infection. Without the gauze he’d keep bleeding. Without the tape the gauze would fall off. It went in a circle. She looked up into Eddie’s eyes and knew he was thinking the same thing. 

_ What now?  _

“Hey-” Elle recognized Bill’s voice and glanced up to him, wondering who he was talking to. Stan and Bill both stared past her, and Elle realized even Eddie looked past her, all of their eyes wide. 

Her eyebrows furrowed together and she spun on her heel. For a moment she thought it might have been Bowers, but much to Elle’s relief she was greeted by a head full of curly red hair and kind green eyes. 

“ _ Bev _ !” Elle meant to stay quiet, but she sounded like a little kid who hadn’t seen her best friend in a week. Bev stood at the end of the aisle looking as beautiful as ever. She wore a pink tank top and short denim shorts, and held one hand behind her back. Her face was beginning to turn as red as her hair when she finally answered Bill. 

“Hey,” Bev spoke sharply, glancing between the four of them. When her green eyes got to Eddie they widened. “What’s wrong with you?” she asked abruptly. 

“None of your business,” Stan answered curtly, but at the same time Eddie spilled the beans about “a kid outside looking like he’s dead”. 

Elle glanced between Stan and Eddie for a moment before she focused on Eddie. His brown eyes remained focused on Bev. Elle frowned.  _ Maybe she had read things all wrong and he didn’t like her like that.  _

“We d-don’t have enough m-muh-money on us r-right now to get the stuff we n-need,” Bill spoke sadly, and Elle glanced back at Bev. A frown had taken over the red head’s face and Elle felt the need to ask her what was wrong, but Bev stepped towards them and the five of them stood in a circle. 

“Get out when I motion for you to,” Bev told them quietly, and with a sinking feeling Elle realized what she wanted them to do, and what Bev was about to do for them.

“Bev-” She started to speak, but Bev was already walking towards Mr. Keene, the pharmacist that was seated behind the desk. The rest of the boys looked clueless until Bev began speaking, higher and flirtier than ever. Mr. Keene had always bothered Elle with his glances and comments he made when she came to pick up her asthma medication- so much that she had started making Bill come with her, although she never told him why. All he knew was that his little sister didn’t want to go alone, and that was enough for selfless Bill. 

Stan and Eddie began their way towards the other end of the aisle, near the door. Bill and Elle stayed for a moment, watching Bev lean over the counter as Mr. Keene passed her his glasses, laughing. Elle was aware that Bill was watching her, but she felt so awful for watching Bev do this for them. She should be the one doing this, not Bev. After all, Bev didn’t even know Ben, but there she was distracting Mr. Keene so the rest of them could steal supplies. 

Elle felt a hand on her shoulder, and expecting it to be Bill she moved to brush him off, not taking her eyes off of Beverly in fear they might miss the signal and this all would have been for nothing. She felt the hand again, but this time Bill gave her shoulder a good squeeze. 

“Come on,” Eddie’s hushed voice surprised her, and she realized it was  _ Eddie’s _ hand on her shoulder. Bill was stuffing supplies into his pockets, as was Stan, to make it look less like theft to those outside. “We have to move so we can-” he was cut off as Bev pushed a display of cigarettes over and her hand whipped furiously behind her back. 

_ That  _ was the signal. 

Eddie gripped her hand, sending bolts of lightning up her arm. He tugged her towards the door, where Stan was already outside holding the door open. Bill zipped through first, pockets bulging. Eddie pushed Elle through next, their linked hands pulling him through last. Stan held the door as it closed, preventing the chimes from banging against the glass. 

“I’ll hang back for Bev,” Bill stopped just after they had gotten into the alley, handing what was in his pockets to Stan in passing. The three of them nodded and raced down the alley towards Ben and Richie, who were now both seated on the crates. 

Eddie was quick to crouch down in front of Ben, letting go of Elle’s hand much to her displeasure. She squatted beside him, glancing up at Ben as Stan and Eddie started to organize the supplies. 

“How’d you guys get all this stuff?” Richie asked curiously, his trademark smirk on his face. “Steal it?” He joked. 

“Yup,” Elle was quick to answer, and Richie’s smirk fell. 

“Serious?” he asked, obviously surprised. 

Elle only nodded again as she watched Ben’s eyes flutter open to stare down at her. 

“Can I see?” She asked, glancing down to where the blood was seeping through his shirt, and then back up to his eyes. Ben hesitated before his hands found the hem of his shirt. He slowly tugged it up, and Elle’s breath caught in her throat when she finally saw the wound on his stomach. 

“Is that…” Richie was leaning over to get a look at Ben’s stomach, and Elle knew he was seeing the same thing she was. 

Cut into Ben’s stomach was a deep, jagged capital letter “ _ H _ ”. 

“ _ Henry _ ?” Elle asked, her voice small and soft now as she watched the blood ooze from the cuts. Ben only nodded slowly, and Elle thought she could see tears beginning to pool in the boy’s eyes. Elle was furious that Henry would hurt somebody like this, but watching Ben get teary in front of her made her want to cry herself. She reached out to set her hand on one of Ben’s knees, not breaking eye contact. 

_ I’m sorry, _ she wanted to say.  _ I’m sorry that we didn’t find you sooner. We could have stopped this, all of us together.  _

“Alright, this might hurt a bit-” Eddie moved a piece of gauze to Ben’s stomach, and when Ben hissed in pain she realized it was the antiseptic. She tightened her grip on Ben’s leg, her thumb sweeping back and forth in an attempt to comfort him. 

A twinge of jealousy crept up as Eddie worked. He eyed Elle’s hand on the new kid’s knee and wished for a moment that he was the one who was hurt so she would do that to him, but pushed the thought down and kept working. 

“Suck the wound,” Richie suggested as Eddie started bandaging. 

Everybody paused for a moment as they stared at Richie. 

“Seriously?” Elle frowned, glancing over to Eddie. 

“I need to focus-” the smaller boy mumbled, going back to layering gauze over the awful marking on Ben’s stomach. Stan began ripping medical tape into long strips for Eddie, and slowly but surely they got Ben patched up. 

“Ben from soch?” A girl’s voice other than her own made Elle glance up, where Bill was walking with Bev down the alley towards them. 

Richie continued to pester Eddie about sucking the wound, but Elle focused on Bev. 

“And Elle from the bathroom!” Bev added, a smile creeping one her face. In one hand she held a carton of cigarettes, and Elle smiled in return. 

“Guess you didn’t need my number,” Elle joked, and she could feel Ben’s pulse quicken from her hand’s close proximity to a pulse point. 

Bev seemed to realize the magnitude of Ben’s injuries as she looked at his blood-soaked sweater. “Are you okay?” she asked, worry laced in her voice. “That looks like it hurt like hell-” 

“Oh, no- I’m good. I just fell,” Elle could feel Ben shift nervously, and she realized Ben probably had a bit of a crush on Bev. Her pulse probably felt a lot like Ben’s did now when she was close to Eddie.

Richie, of course, just had to stop pestering Eddie long enough to add in, “Yeah, fell right into Henry Bowers!” 

Elle felt herself cringe at Richie’s revelation. Ben obviously didn’t want Bev to know what had happened to him. 

“Shhhh,” Elle frowned, moving her hand from Ben’s knee to swat to Richie’s legs. 

“What? It’s the truth,” Richie defended himself, eliciting a small sigh from the blonde girl. 

_ Remind me to never tell Richie my secrets.  _

The group was silent as they watched Eddie finish up the bandaging. 

“You sure they got the right stuff to fix you up?” Bev asked, but she knew the question was directed at Ben. Ben’s face turned bright red and he nodded quickly, not daring to speak. His eyes fell to the ground and a bashful smile spread across his face. 

_ Welcome to the club, Ben,  _ she thought. 

“Fuck,” Eddie sighed, standing up and stretching his legs out. The entire group admired Eddie’s handiwork before Ben tugged down his shirt, his face still burning. 

“As long as you’re in good hands I think I’ll get going,” Bev’s voice broke the silence again, and everybody turned to face her. 

“W-we’re going to th-the q-q-quarry tomorrow,” Bill spoke immediately, glancing at his friends to gauge their reactions.

Elle caught on quickly and a smile spread across her face. “You should come!” she offered to Bev. This was the perfect opportunity to hang out with Ben and introduce her, even if the introducing had already been done today. 

Bev smiled at the two siblings and nodded, her red hair bouncing into her face. “Good to know. Thanks.” Bev was already backing up, waving to them. Elle returned the wave and looked back to Eddie, who stood staring in Bev’s direction again. 

Elle could feel jealousy flare up again. She so desperately wanted Eddie to look at her like Ben looked at Bev. 

As if he could read her mind, Eddie’s eyes met hers and he stepped towards her, bumping her shoulder with his. “Are you alright?” he asked, and Elle was quick to nod. 

“You did a good job,” she complimented, and watched a smile spread across Eddie’s face that reached all the way up into his eyes. 

“Thanks,” his smile turned bashful and he glanced at Stan when he started talking. 

Stan’s eyes were focused on Richie and he looked upset. “Nice go bringing up Bowers in front of Bev,” Stan frowned, and Elle agreed with him silently. 

“You know what she did,” Richie fired back, and Ben’s face twisted up in curiosity. 

“What’d she do?” Ben asked, leaning forward on the crate, wincing a little. 

“More like  _ who’d _ she do,” Richie corrected, a smirk on his lips. 

Elle knew where this was going. She had heard people talk about Bev just as they talked about her. Her heart sunk and she felt both Bill and Eddie’s eyes burning holes into her head. She realized she had made a whimpering sound, and Eddie and Bill were the ones standing closest to her. 

Yet, Richie went on, oblivious. “From what I hear the list is longer than my wang.” 

One look at Elle’s face and Stan knew she was upset. “That’s not saying much,” Stan snapped in her defence. 

Bill jumped in, his stutter strong but his voice stronger. “T-t-they’re j-ju-just r-rhu-rumors.” 

Richie kept going, looking to Ben, who didn’t realize what was happening. “Anyways, Bowers had her back in third grade-”

Elle didn’t want to hear anymore. 

She had the creeping suspicion that this was exactly how people must talk about her. They probably said that  _ her _ list was long. They probably said people had had  _ her _ . 

Elle scooped her bike from the ground, a frown on her face but no tears in her eyes. She was too proud to cry in front of her friends. She turned her bike around and climbed onto it. Bill made a move towards her but Elle shook her head, half-listening as Richie went on. 

“Tell him he’s a dick and tell him why,” she instructed Bill with a whisper, who nodded and was going to offer to go with her when he saw Eddie climb onto his bike and wheel up to his sister.

Elle kicked off, and the boys watched her leave. 

“Stay with her?” Bill asked Eddie, who nodded. 

“I’ll see if she wants to go back to my place and I’ll call you?” Eddie suggested, and he only just saw Bill nod when he kicked off and sped after the girl he had had a crush on since the moment he saw her. 

  
  
  


What Eddie and Elle would have seen if they looked up went unnoticed by the rest of the group until they decided to disband and meet at the quarry tomorrow. Everybody got Ben’s phone number and they rode off as a group. Ben split off first, and then Stan said he had to be home for dinner. Richie and Bill rode to Bill’s house for dinner and to eat Mrs. Kaspbrak’s snacks that Richie hadn’t been forced to give back. 

It watched them, completely unseen by the group of teenagers. It wore the pale, painted white face of a clown. Red paint ran down It’s face and mouth, but if you looked closer you would see it was not red paint. It dripped down It’s mouth, down It’s chin and onto the ground. 

Blood. 

Patrick Hockstetter’s blood. 


	6. Can't Fight This Feeling Anymore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elle and Eddie face a moment of truth in their relationship.

Songs for the chapter

I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend by Girl in Red

Rescue by The George Twins

I Can’t Fight This Feeling by REO Speedwagon

  
  


Elle raced down the main street of downtown Derry, the wind in her long blonde hair, the wind agitating her eyes enough to make them water. A tear slipped down her cheek, but of course it was only the wind. 

That’s what she would tell herself, anyway. 

She was sick and tired of people talking about her and Bev like they were nothing. She didn’t know about Bev, but this group of friends was all that Elle had. Without them, she only had Bill. And that would only be when Bill was home, which wasn’t much in the summer. 

Elle was upset, and Richie was an idiot, but she wasn’t mad at him. It was impossible to be mad at one of her friends. She knew Richie would never say something to hurt her on purpose, but hearing him talk about Bev like that was too much to hear, especially coming out of the mouths of one of her best friends. 

“Ellie!” 

Elle tuned out her thoughts for a moment as she crossed an empty intersection, her light eyes darting around the street ahead of her. 

_ I must be hearing things… I’ve officially lost it.  _

“Ellie- please slow down!” The voice came again, and this time it was more of a wheeze than a yell. Elle grabbed for the breaks on the handlebars and came to a stop almost immediately, the back tire of her bike lifting a little from the force. The moment her feet found the ground she spun around, and there he was. 

Red-faced, dark hair a mess, coming towards her quickly on his bike. She heard the squeak of the breaks being pulled and Eddie came to a stop on the street beside her, about three feet of space between them. Eddie grasped for his fanny pack and pulled his inhaler from inside it, inhaling his medication quickly, his dark eyes fixed on hers. The red started to fade from Eddie’s face a little, although he was still panting. Elle watched him silently, surprised he had come to find her so quickly. 

“I know why you left-” Eddie started to speak through deep breaths, and Elle’s eyebrows furrowed in worry. 

“Why’d you follow me?” Elle cut him off before he could say anything else. She watched his eyebrows knit together. 

“I wasn’t just going to watch you leave by yourself,” Eddie frowned. “Remember what I said? I don’t like the thought of you being alone out here with Bowers and his jackasses roaming the town.” 

A small frown took over Elle’s pink lips as she listened. 

_ So it was a friendly gesture… Bill probably asked him to come after me. _

“Thank you, Eds,” she smiled at the ground, her voice more monotone than usual as she listened to her heart beating fast regardless of her telling herself he did it to be friendly. She could feel Eddie’s eyes on her still, and she glanced up. 

“Plus you could get hurt, and statistically speaking your odds are much better when you’re not alone. Especially if Bowers had found you and hurt you. I know I’m not much, but the fact is that bullies are less likely to approach you if there is more than one person, so technically-” Eddie started to rant, the way he always does when he gets nervous. 

_ When he gets nervous _ , she repeated to herself, something in her beginning to tick. 

Elle stepped over the bar of her bike, and let her bike fall to the ground beside her. The handlebar hit the ground with a thud.

“-depending on what kind of injury it is too you could die. Did you know that if you break a bone it could send a clot right to your heart and kill you? I mean one broken bone and you could die, and I couldn’t just keep standing around listening to Richie be a dumbass if-” 

Elle was only half listening to him rant. He was talking quickly and stammered in a few places. His deep brown eyes flickered from her to the ground to his hands as he spoke, his hands planted on his handlebars. He held the handlebars so tight that Elle could see his knuckles turning white.

“-and even if you fell on your bike and nobody was with you, you could get tetanus if you touch something dirty and tetanus is -” 

Elle leaned towards Eddie as he talked and cut him right off when she planted her lips on his. His lips stilled under hers, and she kept her lips on his for a few seconds before she pulled back. His lips were warm, and she could taste the minty chapstick he always kept in his fanny pack on them. She felt a warm tear slide down her cheek as she pulled back, her eyes on Eddie’s. His eyes were wide, and she could tell she surprised him. 

_ She surprised herself too.  _

“I-I’m sorry, Eddie-” Elle realized the mistake she had made as she looked into his wide eyes. He didn’t return her feelings, and by kissing him she had ruined the friendship they had spent so long building. She stepped back from Eddie and watched his unchanging expression. His wide eyes flickered between hers. Her cheeks were growing warm with embarrassment, and she stooped to grab her bike from the ground so she could make her escape. Her fingers only just grazed the handlebars when she felt a hand encircle her wrist, tugging her back up to stand. 

Eddie had dismounted from his bike, although he held the middle of the handlebars in his left hand to keep the bike upright. His right arm remained on her wrist, holding it tight but not tight enough to hurt.

“Did you mean it?” He asked quietly, but quickly. His eyes were unreadable to Elle, and she felt more nervous than she ever had in her whole life. 

“Yes-” her answer was short, but it was all Eddie needed. 

They stared into one another’s eyes, a staring contest that only they understood. Elle could  _ feel _ him getting closer, and she could feel his shallow breaths against her face. Eddie’s lips grazed her, and she felt butterflies erupt in her stomach. Her pulse was audible in her ears, and she could feel that her face was on fire. Then he kissed her, and his lips weren’t still this time. He really, truly kissed her. 

Elle had been kissed two other times in her life by a boy, but this kiss was nothing like those. Eddie’s kiss was tender, and full of love. He kissed slowly, and Elle followed his lead. She could feel Eddie’s hand slip from her wrist, and she had just begun to miss the contact when she jumped in surprise as his hand slipped around her waist, pulling her body closer to his. Elle nervously slipped her arms around his shoulders, clasping her hands behind his neck. Elle could feel Eddie’s pace begin to quicken, and she had only just begun to copy his increase in speed when she felt him pull away from her. He tilted his head back a little, his blown-out pupils focused on hers, and she was sure she must look the same way. 

“I meant that too,” he breathed, and Elle’s mouth twitched up into a smile. She was sure Eddie’s mind was a mix of thinking about the kiss and naming everything that could have been transmitted during the kiss, but his eyes were so focused on her she forgot everything else. 

As she stared at him she wondered how long Eddie had returned her feelings. She thought back to all the times she had felt her face redden and heart beat faster, and wondered if he had felt the same way. She thought back to the movie theatre when he poured the candies into the napkin on her lap. _ Was his face as red as hers was? Were they both thankful for the cover the dark provided them?  _

Elle didn’t realize the two of them had been standing in the street staring and holding one another for as long as they had been when she heard the sound of a car go through the intersection nearby. 

Eddie let his hand drop from her waist, and Elle’s arms fell to her sides, but they didn’t step back from each other or break eye contact. 

“ _ Wow _ -” she could hear Eddie whisper to himself under his breath, and she felt her cheeks burn again. 

“What do we do now?” Elle found herself asking, her grey eyes flicking between his as her mind raced. Eddie looked the most relaxed and happy he had all day, although that wasn’t saying much given their day had been full of a near-miss sewer adventure, Ben being injured and Richie being Richie. 

Elle could feel Eddie’s hesitation when he finally spoke, “We could see what happens?” he suggested. “Take it day by day and keep it between us for now?” 

Elle thought about it. She desperately wanted to see what would happen between them now that she knew her feelings were returned, but she had never been great at keeping secrets from Bill. It would be easier to figure out their relationship - Elle’s heart leapt when she thought of that - without the input of their friends for now, especially given that Richie was likely to tease and pester them endlessly. 

“I like the sound of that,” she agreed, nodding slowly. If Bill found out along the way it wouldn’t be the end of the world. She knew Bill could keep a secret. 

Eddie nodded in return, and the street was quiet as they stood together. Then Eddie jumped like he forgot something.

“I just remembered-” he blurted. “I think Bill and Richie were going to hang out at your place, and I told Bill I would phone him when we got- I mean when I got home,” Eddie’s speech was rapid. “To let him know we’re alive and all.” 

Elle nodded again, giggling a little as she watched his hands move when he spoke. They always moved. Eddie always talked with his hands. 

“So do you want to come back to my place? You could stay for dinner if you wanted, or we could just go there for a bit and I could drive you home after- I mean I would drive you home if you just stayed for dinner of course, but-” 

“Eds,” Elle cut him off, and she watched as his eyes fell on her. Eddie radiated nervous energy. “If it’s okay with your mom I’d love to stay for dinner and for you to drive me home after.” 

Eddie only nodded, a smile on his lips as she stared at her. This was the happiest Eddie could remember feeling in all his life, and Elle knew she felt the exact same way. 

Eddie’s eyes flickered to his watch and back to her eyes. “Dinner should be in like 30 minutes,” he smiled down at her. 

Elle nodded again, mirroring his smile. “Lets go.” 

  
  


They rode to Eddie’s place side by side, coasting down the street without having to work to propel their bikes forward. They made it to the Kaspbrak residence, and saw Eddie’s blue car parked in the driveway. They left their bikes on the side of the house and washed their hands as soon as they entered the house. Mrs. Kaspbrak called from the kitchen and Eddie told her Elle was staying for dinner. Eddie phoned Bill and let him know Elle was with him for dinner, and Bill told Eddie that Richie was at their house for dinner too. 

Dinner was small talk with many knowing glances shared between Eddie and Elle, all gone unnoticed by his mother, who sat facing the living room so she could see the TV where her game shows were still playing. Mrs. Kaspbrak asked Eddie and Elle about their day, and they lied and told her a story about them going with their friends to the park to toss a ball around. Mrs. Kaspbrak reminded them about how fragile poor Eddie was for the next 10 minutes, although currently Eddie was feeling like he was immortal. Nothing could hurt him. 

They never mentioned that they were going to the quarry the next day, although Eddie did make up a story about going to the library with their friends. Mrs. Kaspbrak reminded them of the germs on books and what could happen if they got a papercut on a dirty book.

Eddie asked to be excused as Mrs. Kaspbrak was cleaning the dishes, and let her know that he and Elle would be outside in the yard. Mrs. Kaspbrak allowed them to be excused and Eddie led Elle back towards the front door, only taking her hand when they were out of sight of his mother. Elle felt the butterflies in her stomach flutter around, especially when Eddie gave her hand a squeeze as he opened the front door. 

The two of them made themselves comfy sitting on the hood of Eddie’s car, the metal giving Elle goosebumps when she stretched her bare legs out in front of her. They were quiet for a while. Holding hands and watching the blue summer sky light up in shades of orange and pink. 

“I’m sorry about what Richie said,” Eddie spoke. He had been meaning to say that since he caught up to her on their bikes earlier. He knew Richie was oblivious, but not  _ that  _ oblivious. 

Elle was quiet for another moment. “It’s okay, I know he didn’t mean it like that,” she shrugged, and then thought better and added, “I just don’t like how people talk. I know Bev, and I know people probably think about me the same way. Hearing it from one of my best friends just made it…” she racked her head for the right word to use. “Real.” 

Elle saw Eddie nod out of the corner of her eye, and she felt his thumb begin to move across her knuckles slowly. 

“I know you guys don’t think about me like most people do,” she continued. “But I’ve heard people. They think it’s wrong for me to be the only girl among four-” she thought about Ben. “-five guys. I’ve heard what they call me…” 

“They don’t know shit,” Eddie cut in quietly, turning his attention from the changing sky to Elle. “They don’t know you, or any of us. They never will. People in Derry are…” 

“Consevative?” Elle suggested. 

Eddie nodded. “That’s one way to put it,” he agreed with a sigh. “They don’t understand people like us because they’re stuck here and they know that we get to leave.” 

Elle was quiet for a moment. She had thought about leaving Derry, and she had heard her parents talking about moving after her and Bill finished high school, but talking about it with Eddie made it real. They could leave. They could find better places to live, go to better schools, meet better people that weren’t prejudiced and hurtful. 

“Where would you go?” Elle found herself asking Eddie, eyes going to the sky again. The sky had lit up into a beautiful sunset. The clouds looked like pink cotton candy, and the orange melted into the blue perfectly. 

“I don’t know,” Eddie confessed. “Somewhere far away from here probably, but close to our friends.” Eddie looked back to the sky too. “I don’t want everybody to split up after school and go to school all over the place.” 

Elle nodded in agreement. “We could all pick schools close to each other so we could visit,” she suggested, smiling a little at the thought of all of them growing up. As she watched the sky fade she thought about what they might be like as adults. What would their jobs be? Where would they all live? Her mind raced with all the possibilities, each one better than the last one she thought of. 

They stayed quiet until the night began to make its way into the sky and the light faded. 

When the last bit of orange began to fade from the sky they untangled their fingers, and Eddie went inside for a moment to let his mother know he was going to drive Elle home. Elle and Eddie spent the next 10 minutes cramming her bike into the back seat of Eddie’s car, and finally succeeded when Eddie slammed the door especially hard and it stuck. 

Eddie drove slowly down the streets of Derry, Elle’s hand in his as they once again listened to the radio. Nothing really good came on until they were a few minutes away from the Denbrough residence. 

Elle reached over with her free hand to turn up the volume, her smile growing bigger. 

“I love this song,” she told Eddie softly, moving her free hand to overlap the hand that was already holding Eddie’s. 

Eddie knew the song well. Although he would never admit it to anybody, he had listened to this song more times than he could count on vinyl in his room. 

_ I can't fight this feeling any longer _

_ And yet I'm still afraid to let it flow _

_ What started out as friendship has grown stronger _

_ I only wish I had the strength to let it show _

  
  


A smile spread across Eddie’s face as he listened to the lyrics. 

“I do too,” he agreed with the blonde girl in his passenger seat. She was looking through the windshield, a smile playing upon her pink lips. 

_ And even as I wander, I'm keeping you sight _

_ You're a candle in the window on a cold, dark winter's night _

_ And I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might _

Eddie turned onto Elle’s street slowly, and she felt her heart begin to beat faster again. Last time they had done this it had been as friends, and she had kissed him on the cheek. This time… she didn’t know what she would call them, but they weren’t  _ just friends _ anymore. And they had passed the point of cheek kisses. 

_ And I can't fight this feeling anymore _

_ I've forgotten what I started fighting for _

_ It's time to bring this ship into the shore _

_ And throw away the oars, forever _

Eddie pulled up in front of the Denbrough house. Elle noticed her father’s car was gone, which meant he had probably gone to drop Richie off, and Bill would be with him. Elle felt relieved knowing she wouldn’t have to go into her house with her face burning to face her parents, Bill and Richie all at once. 

Eddie cleared his throat and Elle realized she had been staring out the window for longer than she thought. She turned her head to face him, and unconsciously angled her whole body towards Eddie’s. 

“So, tomorrow…” he began, but his voice faltered when he realized he had no idea where to start about tomorrow and the quarry. 

“We’ll act normal,” Elle suggested, and with the way she was smiling at him Eddie could only nod in agreement. 

“We’ll act normal,” he echoed, mirroring her smile. From behind them a different pair of headlights flashed through Eddie’s car, illuminating their blushing faces for a moment. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Elle spoke quietly, as if somebody might overhear them. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Eddie repeated. He was lovestruck. He probably would have agreed with anything she said. 

The car was silent except for the hum of the engine when Elle and Eddie leaned in at the same time. It was a quick, sweet kiss goodnight, but it would play through both their minds for hours in the days to come. 

When they pulled away, they stared at one another for another moment before the sound of the car door popping open distubed them. 

“Can’t make my mom suspicious,” Elle said teasingly, her right foot already out of the car. 

Eddie chuckled in return. “We can’t risk that, can we?” He replied, sass laced through his words. 

Elle giggled as she got out of the car, turning to look at him one last time for the night.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she repeated from earlier. 

“I’ll see  _ you  _ tomorrow,” Eddie agreed. Elle closed the passenger door gently.

_ 'Cause I can't fight this feeling anymore _

_ I've forgotten what I started fighting for _

_ And if I have to crawl upon the floor, come crashing through your door _

“Baby, I can't fight this feeling anymore,” Eddie sang the last part, his voice low as he watched Elle climb the steps to her front door and turn to wave. Eddie waved back, feeling as though he were floating as he put his car in drive and watched her close the front door behind her. 

_ She’s safe now, _ he thought. 

Eddie drove off into the night, back to his mother, who would lecture him about the dangers of driving in the dark for 15 minutes after he walked through the front door. Eddie didn’t care. He felt like he was on cloud nine, and nothing could take that away from him. Not even his mother, who took everything away from him. Eddie was finally in control of something. Something wonderful. 

  
  


Elle made it into her bedroom with minimal questions from her mom, closed the door behind her and finally let the grin she had been holding back for hours show. She let out a little squeal and felt like a little girl as she took a running jump onto her bed, bouncing on the mattress for a few minutes before she heard her dad’s car pull into the driveway. She stepped off her bed and changed into shorts and a large shirt. Bill’s steps thundered up the stairs and he stopped near her door. 

“Elle, you’re in there?” He called out. He did this every time they didn’t walk in the front door together. His way of making sure she was safe. 

“Yes!” She yelled back, taking a step towards her door so he could hear her better. “What time tomorrow do you think?” 

It was quiet on the other side of the door and Elle was beginning to think Bill left when he replied, “I didn’t set it up yet but probably after lunch so the water can warm up?” 

So we’re swimming… 

“Alright, see you tomorrow!” She replied, and Bill’s footsteps faded down the hall. Elle turned her attention to her closet. She spent nearly an hour looking through her clothes before she settled on a light powder-blue dress that had buttons all the way up in the front of it. Underneath she would wear a pair of light pink underwear and the matching bra. God knows the boys wouldn’t bother with finding swimming attire when they could just go in their underwear. 

She laid the clothes out on her desk and settled into bed over the course of an hour, but didn’t fall asleep until much later because the day’s events ran through her head on repeat. 

Betty’s shoe. Ben’s wound. Richie’s trashmouth. Bev’s help. Bill waiting for Bev. Stan defending her from Richie’s gossip. Eddie’s kiss. Especially Eddie’s kiss. 

Elle fell into a dreamless sleep that night from what she could remember in the morning, although if Bill would have walked in he would have found Elle covered in sweat and suffering from nightmares. 


	7. Pictures and Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elle has a nightmare, or so she thinks at first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to say that today was the first time I've checked to see if anybody had actually read anything I've posted, and I was blown away to see how many people have read the first few chapters of my book!  
> I also wanted to say thank you to the 6 people who left kudos (?) on my book and the one person who left a wonderful comment. The comment meant the world to me and I honestly teared up while I read it.  
> I spent a lot of time reading other Eddie fanfictions and I found that they basically regurgitated the movie exactly as we saw it, so I wanted to do something more to put the reader into the story where they have more than a few lines in scenes we've already seen. Plus I absolutely love Eddie and Jack Dylan Grazer so that gives me more incentive to get writing!  
> I'm really happy everybody seems to like it so far, and I plan to do a second book when I'm done this- or maybe just continue in this one- to write IT Chapter 2 from Elle's perspective, so we have that to look forward to! 
> 
> Good luck in quarantine everybody, and thank you for coming across my book in your internet searches!

The only song for this chapter is

The Killing Moon by Echo and The Bunnymen (I like this one, it sounds spooky, especially when you listen to the lyrics!)   
  


Most of the songs I use are from the 80's or earlier, just so everybody knows! I want songs that the Losers Club would have been able to listen to when they were teens. If you have any song suggestions you think I should listen to when I write just let me know in the comments and I'll do it! I'm very open to suggestions for everything!

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Elle jumped awake from a nightmare, jerking upright in bed and grasping for her sheets in a panic. Her chest heaved as she tried to remember what she had been so terrified of but only the memory of fear stuck with her. Her eyes roamed the blackness of her room, the shapes of her furniture only illuminated by the streetlight outside her bedroom window. 

“Nothing is here,” she panted, trying to make herself feel better as she struggled to catch her breath. 

Nothing in her room seemed out of the ordinary, but she could not shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong. 

_ Bill. _

Elle pushed her blankets aside and climbed out of bed, goosebumps covering every inch of her body the moment her feet touched the floor. 

_ I just need to check on Bill,  _ she told herself.  _ Then I’ll go back to sleep so I’m not tired for the quarry.  _

She opened her bedroom door slowly, peering out into the hallway. It was illuminated by a night light her mom had bought for Georgie so he wouldn’t be scared having to go down a dark hall at night to use the bathroom. The floorboard creaked a little as she stepped into the hall, her eyes already on Bill’s bedroom door. She took quiet steps, not wanting to wake her parents or Bill. She could see Bill’s door was closed as she approached, but she felt an overwhelming urge to actually see him. Just to make sure he’s safe. She pushed the door open a little, and much to her relief Bill was laying on his side in his bed, covers pulled up to his chin and quiet snores filling the room. 

She could feel the corners of her mouth twitch up into a small smile as she closed his door as quietly as she could, taking a step back into the hall. She started walking back towards her own room but stopped in front of the staircase. 

Similar to the urge she felt to check on Bill, Elle felt like she  _ needed  _ to turn around. It was a strong compelling feeling that Elle could not ignore, as much as she felt she  _ should  _ ignore it. The only thing she could do was give in. She turned slowly to look back down the hallway, but her eyes didn’t go to Bill’s room. They went to Georgie’s room. More importantly, they went to Gerogie’s bedroom door, which was wide open. Elle could have sworn when she walked towards Bill’s room the door had been shut. Their parents  _ hated  _ when Georgie’s door was open. 

Elle found herself walking back down the hall, past Bill’s room, and stopped right at the threshold of Georgie’s doorway. 

His room was exactly as it had been on that rainy day last October. His posters hung on the wall, his bed was half-made, and his desk chair was still slightly pulled out from his desk. To Elle it felt like she had walked into a tomb. The air seemed heavier in here, making it harder to breath in. 

Elle took a step into her little brother’s room and was almost immediately overwhelmed by a sense of grief. She missed her Georgie dearly. She missed the way he jumped on her bed when he wanted to bother her. She missed the way he drank milk through the gap his missing teeth had left. She missed the way he carelessly colored outside the lines and still hung up his artwork. Elle could see one of his drawings on his desk, the one he had probably been working on before he had come to find Elle. It was a picture of Donald Duck and his three duckling kids. Georgie loved those cartoons. Georgie had colored Donald and his kids all kinds of crazy colors, but Elle could tell he worked hard on it. Georgie had been trying really hard to get better at coloring in between the lines, but he had struggled back of how quickly he liked to color. This drawing had thick streaks where Elle could tell the marker had gone across the paper very slowly, leaving more ink behind. 

_ Georgie will never get better at coloring between the lines now.  _

The thought crossed Elle’s mind quickly and she shivered as her eyes left the drawing that would never be finished. Georgie’s picture book sat on his desk too. He had loved collecting pictures of everybody and anything. He asked aunts and uncles and friends and even strangers for photos he could have, and most of the time he got a good one. Elle’s fingers brushed across the cold leather cover of the book, biting down on her bottom lip nervously and she tried to decide whether or not to look. 

She opened the cover and let the book fall open on the desk. Elle put one hand on the desk and leaned on it, using her other hand to flip through the pages. 

Georgie had old family pictures, photos of dogs he often got from the neighbours, a photo of a large blue bird from Stan, and lots of photos of the Denbrough family over the years. A picnic outing when Georgie was in diapers, a photo from Easter in front of the church when Georgie was a few years old… Elle thumbed through the pages, experiencing rushes of happiness and longing among the grief she held inside her. Elle was starting to get to recent photos of the three of them. A photo from Bill’s ‘Sweet 16’ when Georgie had put all the candles he could find on Bill’s birthday cake, much to their dad’s disappointment, who had to light all the candles. Elle flipped to the next page and felt her heart drop and her mouth dry. 

Georgie’s last school photo was pasted to the next page. It was taken just a few weeks before the rainy day. Georgie grinned at the camera, showing off the gaps that were waiting to be filled in by adult teeth that he ultimately would never get. His hair was combed nicely and he wore his favorite blue shirt. 

A barely audible tap sounded in the room, and Elle watched as a tear landed on the page. She hadn’t been aware she was crying until now. 

She pulled away from the book to wipe at both of her eyes, and let her eyes roam around the bedroom once more before she looked back to Georgie’s school photo. 

Or what was previously Georgie’s school photo. 

_ I must have turned the page by accident, _ Elle thought, but she knew she didn’t. On the page there was a picture of an intersection near what Elle could recognize as being Derry’s main street. Main street easily had the most signage and it was the widest road in Derry, which is why Elle and her friends usually took it to get places. Eddie had told them he thought it was the safest street to take because they could ride in one lane and leave the other one free. 

Except it wasn’t a picture. 

_ It was moving.  _

Like a movie would on a screen. But this was a photo in a picture book. Her missing brother’s picture book. 

Derry’s mainstreet was obviously the focal point of the picture- or video? She could see a car roll by in black and white, crossing the main street and carrying on. Elle watched on in disbelief when a small black spot started to form in the distance, growing bigger as another formed. They came into focus and Elle realized it was two people on bikes speeding down main street. One rider was obviously a girl with light hair, judging from the grey coloring. The second was a boy with dark hair, and he was coming up behind the girl. 

A strong sense of dread began to pit in Elle’s stomach. She could feel her stomach turn as she watched. She knew she should look away, close the book and go back to her room, but watching this was like watching a car crash. Impossible to turn away from. 

The riders stopped near one another and the boy grabbed for something around his waist. 

_ A fanny pack.  _

He pulled something out. 

_ An inhaler.  _

“Oh God-” Elle mumbled, feeling like she was going to be sick on top of Georgie’s book. 

She watched the two riders talk for a moment before the girl got off her bike and let it crash to the ground. Elle knew what was going to happen next. 

The girl kissed the boy and pulled away, going to grab her bike before the boy grabbed her wrist and kissed her. It was like watching a romantic movie. But it was not the least bit romantic. 

_ It was Elle and Eddie.  _

It was them  _ kissing _ , and it was in a  _ video _ in a  _ picture _ in her  _ missing brother’s picture book _ . 

_ How was this happening? I must be dreaming. _

Elle reached for her upper arm and gave it a good pinch, finding no relief in the pain that flared from her fingers. Elle was terrified. Was somebody watching them? Taping them? But how did it get into a picture and into her house? Her thoughts raced as the scene played on. 

She watched Eddie put his hand on her waist and her arms slipped around his shoulders. 

Then the scene started to zoom in slowly, like it would in a stop motion picture show. She could almost visualize the slides clicking through. But it didn’t zoom in on the figures. It started to zoom in to the background, which started to get cleared as the imaginary slides clicked through. 

_ Click _ .

There was somebody in the background. 

_ Click.  _

It seemed like a tall person, standing on the sidewalk just on the other side of the intersection from them. It was watching them. 

_ Click. _

The person cleared a little. Elle thought it might be a man, but it looked like he was holding something. Color started to bleed into the pictures as they clicked by.

_ Click. _

He was holding a red balloon, and he looked to be very pale and wearing a one-piece outfit of some sort. 

_ Click.  _

Elle’s breath caught in her throat. The picture was so clear it was as if you were standing on that street looking at him. At It. It was a clown standing on the sidewalk, dressed in typical clown clothing. Three orange pom poms ran down the front of his shirt. He wore that white greasepaint on his face and two red lines ran down through his eyes and to the corners of his mouth. 

_ Click. _

He was waving. At her. At her in real life. There was no more clicking through pictures. The waving was as clear and fluent as John Candy had been on the movie she had watched with Bill not long ago.

Elle could see his eyes. She knew they weren’t looking at her with Eddie. 

The clown was looking at  _ her _ .

Right now. 

Fear bubbled in Elle’s body and she brought her hand down to cover the picture, covering it with the palm of her hand. She didn’t know what to do, but she knew she didn’t want to see it anymore, and she didn’t know if she had enough strength in her right now to even close the book completely. 

She held her hand firmly against the page and waited.

_ When she pulled away what would she find?  _

Geogie’s school picture? The clown again, only closer? Elle was terrified and her hand was shaking the page no matter how hard she pressed down. 

Then she jerked her hand back and hissed in pain. 

Something had cut her. She turned her palm up towards her and her eyes widened in fear when she saw three jagged cuts across her hand. They didn’t look like paper cuts. They looked like what would happen if you took a knife to your hand three times and pressed in hard enough to draw blood, and then swiped the knife across. Blood began to bead and then pool in the palm of her hand. She frantically looked back to Georgie’s school picture. 

_ Georgie’s school picture.  _

_ It was back.  _

A few drops of Elle’s crimson blood fell onto the page and Elle now slammed the book shut. She took a few steps back and drew her hand towards her chest to protect it from what else might happen. She could feel her face twisting up and a small, terrified sob escaped her lips as she started backing away from Georgie’s desk.

“ _ Please _ be dreaming-” She mumbled to herself as she escaped the room and went straight into the bathroom. She flicked the light on and was surprised at the amount of blood she carried in the palm of her hand. She held her hand over the sink and let the red droplets splatter over the white porcelain. Elle flicked the sink on to the coldest setting and shoved her hand under the faucet, hissing once more in pain as the cold water ran through her cuts. It began to feel nice after a minute, and Elle grabbed a small black hand towel from beside the sink. She balled it and put it into her wounded plan, gripping it like it was a stressball. The second drawer held some medical supplies, and Elle was grateful to find one last roll of elastic tension gauze. She wrapped her hand quickly and tightly, not wanting any blood in her bed for her mom to find. She flicked off the bathroom light and stepped back into the hallway. 

She glanced down one side of the hall. Georgie’s bedroom door was closed. She  _ knew  _ she didn’t close it. Terror began to pump through her arteries and Elle took off running down the hall and into her room, closing the door behind her as quickly as she could manage. She flipped on her light and climbed back into bed. 

Her hand ached and throbbed every time her heart beat, but it looked like she had done a decent job wrapping up her hand. The bandage was tight and the towel seemed like it would do a good job of absorbing. 

  
  


Elle sat awake for the next hour, too scared to get up again to turn the light off. She could see it was still dark outside, but she couldn’t bring herself to get up again. With what just happened, something would probably grab her ankle and pull her under the bed. 

_ What did just happen?  _

Elle thought for a moment. She knew it wasn’t a dream. This was real. The pain in her hand was real, and so was the blood. But what about the picture? It had replaced Georgie’s picture, which was impossible. The picture was actually a video, which was also impossible. The video was of her and Eddie from yesterday, which would have been impossible to get. They were alone on the street. Nobody else was around. 

_ Except the clown that watched you and Eddie.  _

The clown. Elle knew that It was bad. A terrible feeling had come over her when the clown started coming into focus, and Elle knew there was something fundamentally bad and sinister about the clown. It was waving, but Elle knew It meant to harm her. It had harmed her. The proof was on her hand. And on the droplets of blood she had left in Georgie’s picture book. 

Elle felt the tears begin to build again in her eyes, and one by one they slipped down her cheeks. She wasn’t crying because of the pain. 

She was crying because she was scared. 

She wondered if any of her friends or Bill had had any encounters like she had just had. Would they have told the others, or kept it to themselves? Would Elle tell her friends or keep this a secret? The cuts on her hand would elicit questions, she knew. She didn’t know how to tell them the truth, and she didn’t know how to lie to them. They would think she had lost it if she told them that the evil clown in the video in the picture of her missing brother’s picture book had sliced her hand open. 

Elle fell asleep worrying about how she would lie to her friends in the morning. She didn’t sleep peacefully, but the nightmares hadn’t pulled her back under as they had when she first fell asleep. 

Of course, that was because It had moved onto Its next victim that night.

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Disclaimer: I got inspiration for this chapter from the book. This is very similar to Bill and Richie's first encounter with It. :)


	8. A Leap of Faith

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Losers Club begins to come together, and Eddie and Elle take a leap of faith.

Songs for the chapter

Love Grows (Where my Rosemary Goes) by Edison Lighthouse 

Fooled Around and Fell in Love by Elvis Bishop 

Eddie My Love by The Chordettes 

(These are all love songs I think Eddie and Elle would have liked- especially the last one!)

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The sound of a door slamming snapped Elle out of her restless sleep. Her eyes snapped open and she sat up immediately in bed, alrighty feeling panic rise in her chest at the sudden sound. Her room was overwhelmingly bright. The light was on from last night and the morning sun shone in through her semi-open windows. Her door was still closed, and nothing looked different than it had last night. 

_ Bill must be up, _ Elle tried to reason with herself, pulling the warm blankets off her legs and scooting towards the edge of the bed, but not daring to step off as her thought from last night rushed through her head. 

_ What if something is under there? What if It is under there? _

Then she remembered her hand. 

She placed the heavily bandaged hand on her lap, biting her lip as she pondered what the cuts would look like today. The tension gauze had done a good job of staying on tight and Elle unwrapped it easily. Her hand was a little stiff from being in a fist all night, but it didn’t ache or sting as she had expected it to. The remainder of the gauze fell into her lap. She stretched out her fingers but didn’t move the little black towel. It felt damp in her hand with what she knew was her blood, invisible on the dark fabric. 

_ What would her hand look like? _ Would the cuts be huge and swollen now? Would they have healed enough to make it look like an accident Elle could blame on clumsiness? She would still have to lie to her friends about the origins of the cuts, but she desperately hoped they had healed enough to not warrant Eddie trying to drag her to the hospital.

Elle chewed on the inside of her cheek as she moved the towel, and bit down on her cheek in surprise at the reveal. The black towel fell to the floor near her bed with a heavy thud and left blood spatter around it on the floor.

On her hand were three lines, nearly healed. It looked like it had happened days ago instead of just a few hours ago. The cuts were almost closed, not scabbed over at all, and it looked like three lines of scar tissue was the primary evidence of last night’s attack. But the blood stayed behind. The blood from the towel was still on her hand and appeared to be fresh, but what Elle knew was the source of the blood didn’t look like it could have supplied it. Elle turned her hand, inspecting the scars closely in disbelief. 

Cuts like  _ that  _ didn’t heal like  _ this _ . 

Maybe she was lucky they had though. The lines weren’t noticeable unless you were looking closely, and Elle didn’t think anybody would stare at her hands today. She balled her hand into a fist to hide the scars from her brother. 

“Bill?” Elle called out, hoping her voice would reach him through her closed door. With Bill here at least she wouldn’t get yanked under the bed without a witness. The sound of heavy footfall up the hall towards her door was comforting and Bill cracked her door open. 

“Y-yeah?” His head emerged through the door, his eyes scanning over her before a frown turned down his lips. “D-did you even s-sleep l-la-last night?” he asked, pushing the door open the rest of the way and stepping into her room. 

Elle was quiet for a moment, racking through her head for a lie Bill might believe. “I couldn’t sleep, I was too excited for today,” Elle offered, her lips turning up into a small smile that wasn’t completely a lie. She really was looking forward to swimming today, especially with all of their friends. 

_ Especially with Eddie _ . 

Elle glanced down as she lowered her feet to the cold floor and felt instant relief when nothing came out to grab her ankles- specifically the large, greasepaint-white clawed hand of the clown from Georgie’s book. She could feel Bill’s eyes on her still, and when she looked up he had taken a few more steps into the room. 

“W-we’re leaving a-at n-nu-noon,” Bill didn’t sound entirely convinced that she couldn’t sleep because of excitement. “M-make sure y-you pack some sn-sn-snacks and I’ll p-pack the t-towels,” he instructed. This is why their friends sometimes called him Big Bill. Bill was always their leader. 

Elle nodded, standing from her bed and stepping away from it, out of reach of anything that could be under there. You could never be too careful. 

“Where are we all meeting up?” Elle asked, moving towards her desk where her dress and undergarments were laid out. She folded her dress around the underwear and looked back to Bill, who was still watching her skeptically. 

“S-St-Stan said we sh-should meet by the b-bi-big statue d-downtown,” Bill told her. “Are you s-sure you’re oh-okay?” 

The siblings held eye contact for a moment before Elle thought up something Bill would believe. 

“Yeah, I told you I was just excited,” she paced back to her closet, gripping her clothes in her scarred hand, glancing through her wardrobe to break eye contact. “Eddie and I had a…” she paused as she tried to think of the best word to use, “a moment last night,” she offered something that wasn’t a lie at all. Her cheeks began to blaze as she looked back to Bill, who was now wearing the biggest shit-eating grin Elle had ever seen. 

“N-no way!” Bill nearly shouted in delight, and Elle feared their mom would hear his yelling and come running up. “W-what kind of m-mu-moment?” His eyes were wide and Elle could practically see him vibrating. 

“None of your business,” Elle blushed, her feet carrying her towards Bill and aiming to escape to the bathroom to shower. “And be quiet, I don’t want mom to know so she can phone Mrs. Kaspbrak or something and chit chat about their kids.”

Bill had different plans. 

His arms wrapped around her torso and Bill easily picked his little sister up off of her feet. “My l-li-little sister and my b-be-best friend!” Bill announced to the room, and probably the whole house, spinning in a few circles with his sister’s feet in the air. Elle couldn’t help but laugh at her brother’s antics. Her arms were glued to her body inside Bill’s grip, still holding her clothes as she laughed.

“You better not say anything!” Elle warned with a grin as she felt the floor return beneath her feet and Bill released her. They stood a foot away from one another and Elle had to stare up at her brother. Her warning probably didn’t sound too scary coming from somebody who was eye level with Bill’s sternum. 

The grin was still on his face and he nodded quickly. “I w-won’t tell th-them,” he promised. “B-but with all the g-gl-glances between you t-two a b-blind man would b-be able to f-fi-figure it out,” Bill teased, sending a wink down at her before turning on his heel and heading quickly back down the hall. 

Elle pursed her lips as she watched him disappear into his bedroom. 

_ What a shit-head. _

Her eyes found her alarm clock. 10:30. She slept in again, although she couldn’t really blame herself after the night’s events. Elle’s mind began to race again as she stood alone in her room, and she made the decision to push everything out. She was going to have fun today with her friends, and she would deal with the scary stuff later. Maybe she could tell Bill, or even Eddie, although that would almost surely trigger one of his asthma attacks. Eddie hated scary stuff.

Elle headed down the hall and quickly turned into the bathroom, not daring to look up from the floor on her way. She didn’t want to chance seeing anything she didn’t want to. The door was locked quickly and the shower was turned on to warm up. Elle placed her clean clothes on the bathroom counter beside the sink. 

There were still a few droplets of blood in the sink that she had obviously missed washing away last night. Elle frowned and turned on the sink, splashing them with water and watching as they faded into pink and disappeared down the drain. She wasted no time in discarding her pajamas and warming up under the shower water. She washed her hair and body and even shaved her legs again before climbing out and grabbing for her towel. The last thing she wanted was for her legs to look like one of the guy’s hairy legs.

Elle dried off as quickly as she could, surprised that the cuts on her hand didn’t hurt when she was soaping up. 

_ How did they heal so fast?  _ She wondered.  _ It’s not possible.  _

_ Neither was getting the cuts in the first place. _

Elle pushed those thoughts out of her head again as she dressed herself in her light pink underwear, which stuck to the water droplets she hadn’t wiped away on her thighs. The bralette was the next to go on, and she only just clasped it behind her back when she glanced up into the mirror. Her blonde hair was damp and stuck out in many different directions. Her stomach and thighs looked a few shades less tan than her arms and shins. She wondered if Bev would show up, and if she would go swimming with them. Although it would be nice to have another girl in the group, Bev was beautiful, and would surely capture the attention of her friends and brother. 

_ Would Eddie stare at Bev the way Elle wanted him to stare at her?  _ Last night surely had to change the way he looked at her. Today they would be pretending to be  _ just friends _ . 

Still, Elle worried.  _ Would Eddie like the light pink on her, or should she change into a different color?  _

Elle sighed and reached for the powder-blue dress and slipped it over her head. It fell a few inches above her knees, and had short sleeves that were only a few inches long. It had white buttons running all the way up the front of it, and Elle undid the first few buttons to reveal her collarbones and some of her chest. She didn’t have a ton in the way of breasts, but she thought she did have nice collarbones at least.

Elle hung her towel back up, completed the rest of her getting ready activities and scooped up her clothes to leave the bathroom. She could hear Bill playing music softly in his room as she stepped into the hall, but his door was closed so she couldn’t make out what it was. 

Back in her room she dumped her pajamas into the hamper, and did the same to the black towel she had left laying on the floor near her bed. Some of her blood had dried on her floor, so she stuck a finger in her mouth to wet it and scrubbed the blood away with her spit.

Elle brushed out her hair that was already beginning to dry, leaving it to wave and curl on its own. She only applied a bit of her waterproof mascara before she headed down the stairs. 

Her mom was seated at the dining room table, sipping coffee and reading a novel. Elle moved past the table, mumbling a good morning and receiving one in return as she rushed to the kitchen. The time read 11:30. Elle didn’t realize how much time she had taken to get ready. 

_ Yikes, I’m turning into one of those girls that live on West Broadway in their big, fancy houses. _

Bill’s backpack was on the floor near the fridge and Elle could see a couple red and blue towels stuffed into the bag for later use. She went through the cupboards and added in a few chip bags, some Squeezeits that she knew Stan especially liked, and a few Delicious Deals she knew Eddie, Richie and Bill would adore. She didn’t know what Ben liked, but Richie would be bringing his backpack too, which was still loaded with goodies from the Kaspbrak’s cupboard from yesterday, so there had to be something for everybody.

It wasn’t long until Bill joined her downstairs, jean shorts and a white t-shirt on. Elle was finishing a bagel as she listened to Bill explain to their mom that they were going to hang out at the park, and when Bill appeared in the kitchen smiles grew on both their faces. 

“R-ready?” Bill asked, stooping to grab the backpack from the floor. 

Elle nodded in return and swallowed the last bite of her breakfast. “Ready,” she confirmed. “Did you already eat?”

Bill nodded. “I a-always do the m-muh-most important th-thing f-first,” he grinned at her. The two of them started towards the front door. 

“A classic guy thing,” Elle teased, earning a flick to her shoulder from her brother. 

Elle slipped into her white Keds, which had taken a bit of a beating over the last year. Dirt stained the sides of the sneakers, a large grass stain lingered on the heel of her right shoe, and the ends of the laces were tattered. But they matched the buttons on her dress and fit well.

Elle grabbed her little bag containing her inhaler as she followed Bill into the warm summer day, securing it to the handlebar of her bike before Bill and Elle took off towards downtown Derry. 

  
  
  
  
  


“Spitting contest!” Richie had declared as soon as the group of friends had dismounted their bikes at the Quarry, much to Elle’s displeasure. Richie was quick to take off his shirt and toss it to the side as he headed to the cliff in a hurry.

The Quarry was a beautiful lake, hidden away from the eyes of Derry’s adults. There were places it looked like a beach, with a mix of sand and rocks running into the blue water. Then there were the tall cliffs that made up the far end of the Quarry, where the friends had decided to start their day. It was a drop into the water that Elle didn’t exactly look forward to making, but some of the boys seemed excited about the jump. Some of the boys, of course, meant Richie. 

Stan and Bill were quick to discard their shirts, and Elle watched them start after Richie. Ben kept his shirt on, but followed the guys nonetheless. Eddie remained by the bikes, as did Elle. They had greeted one another at the meet-up spot as usual, with a smile and a few words, and had made it to the cliff as usual too. It was easy to act normal when you were trying for other people. It wasn’t so easy when it was just Elle and Eddie. 

“Hey,” Eddie spoke first, his voice low. Elle watched him step away from his bike and start to untuck his shirt from his shorts. 

“Hey,” Elle smiled back at him, her eyes watching his brown eyes scan over the small clearing. Elle knew he was searching for risks, and that he would find a lot of them here. 

“We’ll all be fine,” she assured him with a small smile, but Eddie didn’t look entirely convinced as he looked back to her. His chocolatey eyes flickered between hers, and for a moment Elle was reminded of the way he had looked before they kissed yesterday. 

Her face burned at the memory and she looked away from the boy who now searched her face. Elle kicked out of her white shoes and stepped away from the bikes. 

“Are you okay?” Eddie suddenly stepped a lot closer to her and grabbed for her wrist, and Elle panicked for a moment when she thought he might go in for a kiss right in front of their friends. Instead he pulled her hand up and examined the palm of her hand. Elle thought about what their friends might say if they looked over and saw them standing so close together, Eddie holding her hand tightly. The chances of the guys looking over was slim though. Awful, disgusting sounds filled the previously peaceful atmosphere as they tried to conjure up spit to launch over the edge. Elle cringed as she listened to one particularly hearty coughing noise Richie made. 

“How’d this happen?” Eddie asked, his speech quick, as it got when he worried. Elle frowned and her eyes fell to the ground near their feet. It was hard to lie to Eddie. Eddie could always read her like a book, and Elle knew she couldn’t look him in the eye and not tell him exactly what was on her mind.

Eddie’s hands were warm and careful as he cradled her hand in his, his fingers tracing around the nearly healed marks. Her skin tingled where Eddie touched, and she could feel the butterflies begin to stir in her stomach. 

“I didn’t see these yesterday,” Eddie frowned, and Elle glanced up to meet his eyes. They were full of worry, his dark eyebrows knitted together as he stared at her. “They weren’t there yesterday.”

Elle chewed on the inside of her cheek as she stared at his, his expression breaking her heart. She couldn’t bring herself to lie to Eddie, even though she knew he would probably think she had lost her mind. 

“I need to tell you something, but later. I can come over in the evening and tell you,” She didn’t sound entirely like herself, and Eddie knew something was wrong. 

Eddie and Elle stared at one another for a moment. 

“Promise?” Eddie asked. It was a childish thing to do, but their friends had been making and keeping promises since kindergarten. To them, a promise was as good as the law. Maybe even better. 

Elle scanned his eyes and nodded. “I promise,” she agreed, and Eddie smiled in satisfaction. 

“I missed you,” Eddie mumbled in a small, mumbled voice. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, avoiding the scars, and let go. 

Elle lit up, her smile reaching her eyes. “I missed you too,” she blushed, eliciting a blush from Eddie too. 

“Eddie, your turn!” Richie called, and the pair looked to see their friends stripped down to their boxes on the edge of the cliff. Bill caught Elle’s eye and shot her a wink, to which she rolled her eyes. She started towards the boys and could hear Eddie close behind her. The closer she got to the edge the farther down the water seemed, and she found herself dreading having to jump.

_ Maybe she could just stay up here.  _

She stood near Bill and Ben, watching Eddie step up to the edge and peer into the water. He wrinkled his nose and glanced back to Richie, who gestured to the water. 

“Shoot,” Richie commanded. “But just so you know, I won against everybody else so you have to beat me.” 

It was Elle’s turn to wrinkle her nose in disgust when she heard Eddie copy the nasty sounds the rest of the boys had been making. She looked away and surveyed the guys, who looked very interested in Eddie’s process. 

_ Boys are gross, _ Elle thought to herself. Then she thought about Eddie’s warm lips that tasted of mint chapstick. 

_ Boys are gross sometimes _ , she corrected. 

Then the noises stopped, and Elle glanced back to the smallest boy of the group, who proceeded to launch his spitball onto the rocks about a foot in front of his feet. 

“That was terrible!” Richie laughed, and the other boys joined in. “I win!” Richie added in, looking proud as ever for winning the spitball contest. 

Eddie stared at Richie, a frown on his pink lips. “You won?” he asked, sounding dumbfounded. 

Riche and Eddie began to argue over mass and distance, and Elle chose to block that conversation out. Ben apparently did too, because when Elle looked towards the treeline she made eye contact with Ben, who looked as grossed out as she probably did. Elle gave Ben a look that said ‘look what I have to put up with’, which elicited a smile from Ben. 

Bill ended the argument between the two friends. “Who’s first?” he asked, his eyes scanning over the group, who peered over the edge of the cliff in response. They were all stripped down except Elle and Eddie, although Eddie moved to pull his shirt over his head and tossed it to the side with the rest of the clothing, bags and bikes. Elle couldn’t help but stare. Eddie had come a long way from the little boy Elle used to know. She met Eddie’s eyes and glanced down quickly, embarrassed she had been caught. She could feel Eddie’s eyes on her as her fingers fiddled with the buttons on her dress and she began to undo them one by one. She had just gotten to the buttons near her belly button when somebody volunteered to go first. 

“I’ll go!” 

Elle turned to see a familiar head of red hair drop her bike to the ground, although her hair was much shorter than it had been the day before. Bev’s curly red hair bounced on her forehead as she smiled at their group. Bev wasted no time in pulling her dress over her head, carelessly letting it drop to the ground. She was a flash of blue, white and red curls as she broke into a jog. 

The boys parted to make Bev a runway, and she launched herself off the cliff.

“Holy shit!” Elle exclaimed, watching Bev disappear over the edge. She scrambled towards the edge to make sure Bev landed safely.

“What the fuck?” Richie yelled in shock, darting to the edge beside Elle. The two of them watched the splash as Bev went under the water. 

Elle could feel the other boys crowd in beside the two of them, all peering down after Bev, who resurfaced and began to swim away from the landing zone.

“Come on!” Bev called from the water below. Elle could feel the boys shift as they contemplated the jump. 

Then Bill launched himself off after Bev, letting out a less than manly shriek before he hit the water. Elle stepped back from the edge, watching her remaining friends. Richie didn’t look particularly fond of the jump now, and Stan looked more nervous than before. Eddie looked just as nervous as before, probably because he usually ran on nervous levels of at least 110%.

Elle decided she wanted to go near the end. The thought of willingly jumping off the cliff made her stomach churn, and one of her mom’s phrases popped into her mind. 

_ If all your friends jumped off a cliff, would you jump after them?  _ Elle’s lips turned up into a big smile as she tried to resist the urge to laugh aloud.  _ Yes. Yes I will.  _

Surprisingly Ben was the next to jump, and Elle listened to the splash as he hit the water below. 

Stan stepped back from the edge and looked to Elle. He didn’t look eager to jump and held his arms over his bare chest. Stan regarded Elle with kind eyes, glancing down only for a moment before looking back to the cliff, where Eddie and Richie peered over the edge. 

“I never thought I’d willingly jump off a cliff,” Stan thought aloud, chuckling a little at himself. 

Elle giggled in return, stepping closer to Stan. She had always loved being near Stan. He was calm, and being around him made her feel more calm, especially now. 

“I guess it’s jump or walk around to the shallow end and swim out to the others,” She smiled, and for a second she seriously contemplated doing just that. 

“In case I die on the way down I wanted to ask you now if you’d be able to come over later,” Stan cut into her thoughts and she looked up at the tall, curly-haired bow with a look of curiosity. 

Stan understood the look and quickly filled her in. “I want to practice talking in front of somebody in Hebrew. I keep messing up prononciation and I don’t want to embarrass myself in front of everybody when I have to read from the Torah.” Elle understood instantly. 

“I’d love to,” Elle nodded quickly, and Stan exhaled in relief. It wasn’t the first time she had helped Stan, and she was sure it wouldn’t be the last. She was always happy to spend time with him, listening to him speak a language she didn’t understand or even listening to him talk about the birds he so adored.

“Thank you,” he smiled genuinely. “I’d ask one of the others but I know you’re the least likely to make fun of me after.” A grin grew on Stan’s face as he watched Elle laugh. 

“Well if you die on the way down at least I’ll know you wanted to pronounce things better,” she teased, watching Stan roll his eyes. 

“Well, fuck,” Stan said casually, giving Elle a small salute before he backed up to get a running start. “See you guys on the other side!” Stan yelled at the three of them who would remain at the top. Then he was gone, and cheers erupted from below. 

“And then there were three,” Elle half-sighed as her fingers undid the last few of the white buttons on her dress. She knew her time to jump was rapidly approaching, so she slipped her dress off her shoulders and let it fall to the ground near Ben’s folded clothes. It was cooler without her dress and she felt naked, but she was more fearful of the jump. Elle crossed her arms over her small chest and stepped up between Eddie and Richie, who were still looking over the edge. 

“Who’s next?” She asked, surprising both boys with her sudden bareness. 

“What the fuck, Denbrough?” Richie asked, sounding surprised as he stared at her with his big brown eyes, magnified under his thick glasses. Elle felt heat rise to her face as she stared back at Richie. “You’re like an actual girl under there!”

“Beep beep, Richie,” Elle reminded him, glancing away from the Tozier boy’s wandering eyes. 

Richie chuckled as he removed his glasses and set them near his clothes. “I bet Kaspbrak will be the last one in,” he said to himself, although Elle and Eddie both frowned in response. 

“See you losers on the other side,” Richie stood on the edge to face them before mimicking shooting himself in the chest and launching himself backwards over the edge. The cheers came again.

“Then there were two,” Eddie laughed nervously as he stared at the space Richie had been. A loud splash sounded from below, and Elle knew Richie had landed safely. 

Elle stared at the spot Richie had been in too, hyper aware of Eddie removing his shorts and kicking them aside. 

The two of them stood like that for a few seconds, not daring to look at the other. 

“Come on, jump!” Richie’ screamed from below, and the others echoed his demand. 

“Well,” Elle started, finally daring to glance over at Eddie. Eddie stared back at her, looking worried. His boxers were a dark red color, and a trail of dark hair ran down his belly. Eddie had grown more muscular in the last few years, and this was the first time she had seen him like this since they were preteens. Eddie had been staring at her body much the same way, and only met her eyes when she cleared her throat. 

“Who’s next?” She asked quietly, scanning over Eddie’s red face that nearly matched his underwear. Elle thought her face probably matched her underwear too. 

Elle could feel a pressure building up in her chest as she thought about the jump. She had never done it before, and she doubted the others had either. They were just braver than her. 

“We could both go?” Eddie suggested just as quietly, nervousness creeping into his voice as his eyes left hers to go back to the edge. He stepped up, and Elle thought for a moment he was going to jump right then and there. 

Eddie only peered down at the landing zone, making sure Richie was clear. 

“Come on, you pansies!” Richie called again, and Elle stepped up next to Eddie. 

Their friends were clear of the landing zone, all bobbing in the water and yelling as they waited for the last two to join them. 

“We’ll go together,” Elle took Eddie up on his offer. Standing at the edge she finally realized she was going to have to willingly jump off the cliff, and she was sure she wouldn’t have the guts to do it if she was left up here alone. Doing it with Eddie would make it a lot better. Doing anything with Eddie always made it a lot better.

“Together,” Eddie echoed. The pair looked at one another at the same time and Elle found some comfort and Eddie’s worried eyes. At least she wasn’t the only one who was freaked out. She smiled softly at him, thankful he was willing to jump with her. 

“Running start?” She offered, and Eddie nodded. Together they took a few steps back, stopping when they could no longer see their friends below. Elle could feel how nervous she was, and she knew she must look scared shitless to Eddie. God, how lucky she was he was willing to st- 

Eddie grabbed her face with his hands and pressed a tender kiss to her lips, pulling back quickly with a small smile. 

“Just in case we die,” he joked, although in Eddie’s head he was running through all the ways this could go terribly wrong and kill them both. 

Elle smiled up at him and reached out with her non-scarred hand to grip his. His hands were bigger than hers and could almost wrap around hers entirely while they held hands. 

“We’ll be fine,” Elle repeated from before. “I’ll see you after I help Stan practice Hebrew,” she said confidently. The kiss had helped calm her nerves, the way Eddie’s presence often did. The kiss was just a little more effective in this scenario.

Eddie stared at her adoringly, and Elle thought her heart might explode. 

“On three?” Eddie asked, giving her hand a gentle squeeze as they turned their attention to the cliff. 

“One,” Elle started the count in response, squeezing Eddie’s hand back. If she was going to jump, she was going to do it holding Eddie’s hand. The others could say what they wanted. 

“Two,” Eddie counted, moving closer to Elle for a little comfort. _ At least they wouldn’t die alone if they jumped and hit rocks. Or broke their necks upon impact. Or-  _

“Three,” Elle felt nerves bubbling up in her stomach as she tugged Eddie’s hand to get him going, and they ran together towards the edge of the cliff. She could feel his grip on her hand tighten as they got to the point of no return. Elle jumped at the same time she felt Eddie jerk forward, and then she was weightless. She could feel her stomach bubble in excitement and fear, and her grip tightened on Eddie as if she would lose him if she let go even just a little bit. 

Eddie and Elle free-fell towards the water, towards their friend’s excited screams, towards the beginning of a summer neither of them could have anticipated. 

But at least they did it hand-in-hand. 


	9. Summer Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Losers have a fun day at the Quarry.

Songs for this chapter are

Come On Eileen by Dexy’s Midnight Runners

We Are The Champions by Queen

You Make My Dreams by Daryl Hall and John Oates

There are all fun, upbeat songs that would be perfect for a day in the water!

____________________________________________________

  
  


Elle felt Eddie’s hand slip from hers as they hit the water. 

The water rushed up her nose as she sunk down, only to break the surface a moment later and gasp for air. Her hands wiped at her eyes and she could see her friends bobbing around her. She looked for Eddie and was relieved to see him come up a few feet from her to her right, sucking a breath in and wiping at his face. He gasped again, then seemed to steady his breath, much to Elle’s relief. If he kept gasping like that she knew he would have an asthma attack, and both of their medications were at the top of the cliffs. 

“Holy shit-” Eddie managed out, sounding a little winded still from their jump

Elle could see all their friends were grinning at them.

“Took you guys long enough,” Bev smiled at Elle knowingly. “I thought you guys might have decided to go the long way.” Her red hair was stuck to her forehead in wet little curls. 

“Too bad you guys missed out on the day, we were just about to pack it up and call it a day,” Richie teased, moving to push up the glasses he had left at the top of the Quarry. 

“What’s the matter, Rich?” Elle smiled teasingly, running her hands through her blonde hair to get it out of her face as she bobbed in the water. “Missing something?” 

“Fuck you, Denbrough,” Richie grinned back, although Elle knew he was missing being able to see. It might have been easy for Richie to tell Bev and Elle apart by their hair, but the rest of their friends all had brown hair that looked pretty similar wet. 

It was quiet for a moment as the seven of them paddled to stay afloat. 

“W-wh-what if we a-all m-muh-move into shallow w-wa-water?” Bill suggested, and the rest of them were quick to agree. Elle for one was happy to move into water where she didn’t have to constantly kick to keep from going under. The seven of them swam until Bill could stand up, at which point Bev was quick to latch on and wrap her arms around Bill’s shoulder to get towed to shallower waters. Stan could touch next, and he was quick to offer Elle the same. Elle glanced to Eddie, who was watching the two of them as he paddled beside Richie. Richie didn’t seem to care much, although it was probably because he couldn’t see shit. 

“Uh-” Elle hesitated, looking back at Stan, who like Bill could probably just touch the bottom of the lake with his toes. His curls were plastered to his forehead as he stared at her, oblivious to Eddie’s glances. Elle knew Eddie was looking, but if she said no to Stan she knew it would probably be questioned, and Eddie and Elle were supposed to be secret for now. Besides, she didn’t mind being pulled through the deeper water.

“Sure, I’ll catch a ride,” Elle answered with a small smile, and Stan moved towards her. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and she felt him start to move, walking on the bottom of the Quarry, although the water still came up to his chin. Stan had broad shoulders now so Elle had looped her arms around on top of his shoulders and Stan kept a hand on Elle’s arms to keep her from sliding up and pulling pressure on his neck.

Elle could hear a splash sound from behind them, and looked back as Stan kept moving to see Richie splash Eddie in the face again. 

“C’mon Eds, stop staring and have some fun!” Richie grinned, his dark hair wild and sticking up everywhere. 

“Don’t call me that!” Eddie frowned at their friend, and Elle felt her heart flutter knowing he only liked it when she called him that. “And don’t splash! Do you have any idea how filthy this water is? We’ll probably all get something after this, and I’m serious,” Eddie started on another one of his rants. “So forgive me if I don’t want all this filth and bacteria and germs on my face. Not to mention all the loogies that are floating around in here, or did you forget that already, dumbass?” Eddie had begun to talk rapidly as he swam after the ground, but Richie paid Eddie’s panic no attention. 

“Now you’re worried about loogies, Mr. “juicy and fat?” Richie snickered, moving to splash Eddie again. 

Bev splashed from up ahead as she turned, still holding onto Bill. “Loogies?” she asked, and Elle realized Bev had no idea she had just jumped into a bunch of nasty spit balls. Bev’s eyes fell on Ben, who blushed a deep red as he swam beside Bill.

“Uh…” Ben hesitated to answer Bev, who he knew was waiting on him. “We had a spitting contest before you came,” he answered, and Elle watched Bev wrinkle her nose in disgust. 

By now the water was up to Stan’s shoulders, but Elle knew it was still deep enough to cover her head if she stood on her own, so she adjusted her arms and rested her chin on Stan’s shoulder. 

She could feel Stan laugh and look over to her, his hair tickling the side of her face. “Comfy?” He asked, and Elle only nodded in response. “I hope you tip me good, this taxi doesn’t work for free,” Stan teased, teetering his weight between his legs to tip his shoulder into the water, covering Elle’s face once again in the water they had just reestablished had loogies in it. Elle sputtered and jumped up, holding on tighter to Stan’s shoulders. 

“Stan!” She squealed in surprise, letting go with one arm to wipe at her face again. Stan only laughed, and Elle could see the rest of the group had enjoyed the trick too by their smiles and the way their shoulders moved as they laughed. 

_ This’ll teach him, _ Elle thought to herself as she looped her arms around his shoulders tightly and jerked backwards with Stan’s shoulders still in her grasp. The sudden movement caught Stan off guard and he toppled backwards with Elle, going under only for a moment before he caught himself again and jerked up, his hair over his eyes and Elle still attached to his back, her blonde hair in a mess over her face. 

“You little jerk!” Stan scolded with a smile, wiping at his face as Elle did the same. Like Eddie, Stan had never called her anything worse than “jerk”, or maybe “little shit” at the worst. The two of them were too soft for Elle to call her anything more, no matter what she did. 

Elle only laughed, and she could feel Stan join in as she clung to his back like a koala. She could hear the rest of the group join in as Eddie started up his rant again. 

“I don’t think we should jump again. If things had gone wrong we could have been seriously hurt or injured. Even though there were no rocks over there, a fall from that height could have broken our backs, or our necks,” Eddie paused for a breath, his face beginning to turn red. Elle watched him as the group continued on to shallower waters. By now Richie and Ben could bounce off the bottom of the lake as they moved. “If we go swimming here again I’m meeting you guys down here, I’m not jumping again-” 

“I’ll go with you,” Elle cut him off, watching as Eddie’s panicked brown eyes met hers. “We can go the long way and meet there here next time,” she smiled, and Eddie smiled back to her in thanks. 

“Oh shut up you two,” Richie cut in with a scoff. “You’re both a bunch of losers. Eds, you know you’d jump off taller cliffs if you got to hold a hottie’s hand on the way down,” Richie glanced to Eddie, then focused his eyes on Elle, although she didn’t speak. 

“Shut up, Richie,” Eddie scowled at their friend as Bev called from ahead. 

Bill, Bev and Ben had gotten ahead of the rest of them as they argued, and Bev still hung on to Bill as the trio waited for the others to make it to them. The water was more shallow here, up to the middle of Stan’s back. Eddie and Richie had no problem walking on the bottom of the lake to make it to their waiting friends, and Elle held onto Stan to take advantage of the free ride over. Everybody underestimated Stan, but Elle knew he was stronger and braver than he thought he was, or than anybody else thought he was. 

Richie only smirked back to Eddie as the group of them gathered in a circle. “Save your wooing for later, Eds. Nobody wants to see that.” 

Eddie wordlessly splashed Richie, soaking the taller boy and sucking his curls down to his forehead again. Elle snickered as she watched Richie stand there, surveying the group. To Rihcie’s left was Eddie, then Elle and Stan, then Ben, then Bill and Bev to his right. 

“SPLASH WAR,” Richie announced, and wasted no time in having the first few splashes. Elle slipped off of Stan’s shoulders and saw Bev do the same to Bill. Then she watched Bill look at her, grin, and then she got a face full of water. In only a moment the whole group was involved, and no alliances carried over. Elle soaked Stan, and then was immediately soaked from behind by a grinning Eddie. She wasted no time in getting Eddie back, and then chaos kicked in as the group chose a victim at random and splashed them relentlessly. Elle could feel a wave of water come from Ben, Bill and Bev from the other side, taking out both her and Stan. Stan started coughing, holding up his arms in a “T”, signaling for a truce. 

“Alright, alright!” He called, and Elle watched Richie splash him again, regardless of Stan having basically put up his white flag of surrender. “Alright!” Stan called again, wiping at his face as he sent a glare to Richie. Elle pushed her hair back from her face and took a moment to catch her breath. The group collectively looked like a hoard of drowned rats. 

“We could play chicken?” Stan suggested, and Elle watched her friends almost immediately grin. 

“Me against Wheezy first,” Richie jabbed his thumb into Eddie’s arm, and when Elle listened closely enough she could hear the little wheezes Eddie made when he breathed in or out. “I need to defend my title and this one made it pretty clear he thinks he can take me down!” 

Eddie’s eyebrows furrowed, although Elle could see a small smile on his face. Elle wanted to ask Eddie if he wanted her to run up and grab an inhaler, but he interrupted her thoughts. 

“I  _ can  _ take you down, you asshole!” Eddie spoke up, and Elle could head his ragged breath. “I already told you I could, and last time I had an asthma attack and it’s the only reason you won last time,” Eddie grinned, and Elle knew he was fine for the time being. If he ended up needing his inhaler, Elle knew Bill could run up and grab it for him faster than the rest of them. 

“Prove it!” Richie challenged proudly. 

“It’s so on, dickhead!” Eddie grinned mischievously, glancing to Elle for a moment. “Same circumstances as last time and same partners,” he was quiet for a moment, their eyes only on one another’s. Then Eddie’s eyes looked past Elle. “Stan, come on!” Eddie called, and Elle heard Stan sigh loudly from beside her. 

“Regret?” Elle grinned up at Stan, who only watched Bill and Richie move together and Eddie swim out near them. 

“Regret,” Stan nodded, although a smile played on his lips as he moved past Elle towards his partner, who was yelling back and forth at Richie about who was going to win. 

Elle watched Eddie (ungracefully) climb up onto Stan’s shoulders before she decided to get out of the way. She moved over to Bev and Ben, who were out of the way enough to not have either Richie or Eddie fall over onto them. 

The three of them watched, amused at the four boy’s yelling and at Richie’s constant grabs for Eddie’s hair. Eddie would always yell back that it was against the rules, and the two of them would grab for the other’s shoulders in an attempt to bring them down. 

Elle pulled her attention away from the chicken fight and looked to Ben, who stood quietly in the water and watched the water fight with a look of longing. Elle knew she had never seen Ben with anybody else in school, and she knew they must be all Ben had for friends. They were all Elle had for friends too, as was the case for the rest of the group.

“How’s your stomach doing, Ben?” Elle asked swimming a little closer to him so she could hear him over the yelling and splashing. 

Ben looked surprised she had talked to him for a moment, then a small, nervous smile spread across his freckled face. 

“It’s doin’ better,” he assured her, glancing down in the water to the distorted vision of the bandages in the water. “Just a little wet now I guess,” He smiled back at her, laughing a little.

Elle felt relaxed in Ben’s presence. He didn’t radiate chaotic energy like Richie, or stand like a leader like Bill. He was just Ben, and Ben was kind and quiet, unique from the others. Ben was different, but he helped complete their group, like Bev did. 

Ben and Elle both jumped when a shrill scream sounded from the chicken fight, and the winner sat triumphantly atop Stan’s shoulders with his arms in the air. Bev, Ben and Elle whooped and hollered as Richie resurfaced, spitting water from his mouth as he brushed his hair from his eyes. 

Elle grinned as she watched Eddie, who wore the biggest grin that reached all the way into his eyes. She loved being able to see Eddie like this. Carefree, happy, just one of the guys. She knew Eddie loved this feeling more than he liked being suffocated by his mother. 

“Foul!” Richie called, and Eddie suddenly frowned deeply. “Kaspbrak is out of the game!” 

“What the hell, Richie?” Elle spoke up, although she hadn’t seen the last move of the game. 

_ There were no fouls in chicken, were there?  _

Richie turned towards the blonde with a smirk on his lips. “Kaspbrak pushed me, and that’s a foul!” He declared. 

“That’s the whole game, you dumbass!” Eddie argued back, and Richie turned back to face the brunette boy again. 

“You shoved my shoulders, you dillhole! That’s a foul!” Richie called shrugging as if this was a written rule of the game. Bill and Stan both wore matching looks of confusion and amusement as they watched the argument. 

“That’s allowed!” Eddie argued, sounding exasperated. “I can use any means necessary to knock the opponent into the water! It’s a rule!” Elle had to agree with Eddie. That’s the way she knew the game. No fouls, only a loser and a winner. And oh boy, was Richie one sore loser. 

“You’ll have to show me this rule book, Eds, because to me it sounds like you’re making this shit up so you can win by playing dirty,” Richie frowned, his wet hair dripping into his eyes. 

Elle shifted a little, and she felt Ben do the same beside her. She knew Ben and Bev must be getting a little uncomfortable watching the argument, so Elle started to move through the water towards Richie. 

“You just can’t stand that I beat you!” Eddie argued, and Elle knew Eddie was starting to get genuinely pissed off. 

“New teams,” Elle suggested, effectively grabbing everybody’s attention, even Eddie and Richie’s. “New teams and a new game, and no more arguing!” She added in for good measure. Eddie climbed off Stan’s shoulders and landed in the water with a splash, and emerged with a small frown on his face. Richie had long since moved towards Ben and Bev, and Stan and Bill started towards them too, leaving Elle and Eddie. 

“Hey,” Elle whispered, and Eddie’s eyes flickered to hers as he neared her. Their hands found one another's under the water and they stood close, Elle looking up at the taller boy. “You won.” 

At her words Eddie’s frown was replaced with a small, nervous smile. 

“The rule is you can do anything to get them over, that’s what it’s always been. Richie’s just a sore loser,” she gave his hand a gentle squeeze and watched Eddie shoulders fall as he relaxed. 

“Thanks,” he breathed out, and Elle could tell he needed to hear it. They all knew how Richie could get about losing, and they all knew Richie loved to tease Eddie. 

“C-come on, y-you t-t-two!” Bill called from the circle of their friends, and Elle and Eddie quickly released one another and joined the circle. 

“A-alright, w-who’s n-ne-next?” Bill asked, looking around at his friends for a volunteer. 

As before, Bev was the first to go. “I want to play!” she announced, raising her hand as if she was in class. “Ben do you want to be my partner?” she asked, looking over to the red-faced boy. 

“Uh, yeah, sure!” Ben nodded, stumbling over his words a little as answered. Elle watched Bev take Ben’s hand and pull him over towards where the last fight had been. 

“Who’s fighting us?” Bev asked, a smile on her freckled face as she surveyed the group. Bill caught Elle’s eye and raised his eyebrows, signaling for her to go. Elle only shook her head at him. Bill raised his eyebrows again and cast his eyes towards Eddie briefly, and then back to Elle. She stared at her brother, shaking her head once again. Bill looked like he might say something aloud, but Bev beat him to it. 

“Alright, Richie, since you’re such an expert why don’t you go again and show us how it’s done?” Bev asked, sarcasm nearly dripping from her words. Elle could hear Richie scoff from beside her. 

“I would but I’m afraid my shoulders are dead from the last game,” Richie shot a look over to Eddie, who scoffed in return. 

“Your shoulders are fine,” Eddie frowned. “Go, you dillhole.” 

Richie shook his head, and gestured to Stan. “Stan you go,” Richie encouraged, much to Stan’s disappointment. 

“Somebody else should go,” he frowned, and looked towards Elle. Their eyes locked, and Stan smiled as Elle narrowed her eyes. “Elle can go since she didn’t yet,” he volunteered. 

Although she would have been fine watching again, Elle accepted her place in the fight with a sigh. 

“Fine, but the rules are we use whatever means to knock the other over. No more fights,” she told the group, receiving nods of agreement, even from Richie. 

“E-E-Eddie,” Bill cut in before anybody could volunteer to be his sister’s partner. “Y-you go.” 

Elle could feel a blush rise to her face and she knew she must look a lot like Ben did when he got paired with Bev. 

Eddie and Elle locked eyes for a moment as Eddie moved closer to her. 

“Alright, Eds, lets go,” Elle smiled, watching Bev start to climb onto Ben’s shoulders. 

Eddie only smiled as he dipped down in the water a little. Elle draped one leg over Eddie’s shoulder and he grabbed onto her thigh as she fell back a little. Her other leg swung over Eddie’s over shoulder and he grabbed onto her other thigh too. Eddie stood easily with Elle on his shoulders, and turned them to face Bev and Ben. 

Elle could feel the butterflies in her stomach as Eddie stood, gripping her thighs to keep her on his shoulders. Ben held Bev nearly the same way, although he held onto her near her knees. 

_ The others are going to know by the way he’s holding me _ , Elle thought nervously, although realistically they would probably be paying more attention to the chicken fight itself than the way Eddie’s hands gripped her legs. 

“Aw look, Elle’s on the top!” Richie grinned, only to receive a wet slap on the arm from Bill. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know Richie’s mind practically lived in the gutter. 

“Shut up,” Bill snapped in defence of his sister, who’s pink face matched Eddie’s.

“Beep beep, Richie,” Elle stuck out her middle finger at him, only to receive it back promptly from the trashmouth. 

“Are we going to play or what?” Bev challenged from on top of Ben’s shoulders. Bev grinned, but Elle knew Bev would probably play to win, much like Richie did. 

“We’ve got this!” Eddie encouraged her from below Elle, giving her legs a squeeze of reassurance that made Elle’s whole body burn. One more move like that and Elle might just fall off of his shoulders on her own. She could feel Eddie’s shoulders move as he stepped up to Ben and Bev. 

“Ready?” Elle asked, and she could feel a grin growing on her lips as she watched the red-haired girl nod in reply. Bev reached out towards her and the girls locked hands. 

Bill announced the players and began counting down, with the assistance of Stan and Richie, and the match began. 

Bev was stronger than Elle was, but she knew Ben wasn’t holding on to Bev as well as Eddie was holding onto her. If they could get Bev off balance, Ben probably wouldn’t be able to tighten his grip in time. Bev and Elle pushed one another by the hands at first, but eventually the boys pulled apart. When they got within range again, they were going for the shoulders. Eddie and Ben yelled words of encouragement to their partners, and Elle could hear their three spectators yelling too. 

There were a few close calls as the girls pushed one another. Elle got pushed unexpectedly towards the side, but Eddie’s strong grip on her legs kept her from going over. Elle retaliated with a big shove backwards as Bev went in to push her again, and as soon as Ben’s eyes widened Elle knew they had won. Bev went into the water backwards and pulled Ben down with her, and the two of them reemerged a moment later. Elle let out a scream of victory, and Eddie joined her and spun around in circles quickly in the water. Bill, Stan and Richie joined them in whooping and hollering, and even Ben and Bev started to laugh and cheer after a moment. 

“Alright, new game!” Richie called, and the games went on. Stan and Richie went up against Bill and Bev next, and Bev again toppled over when Richie did exactly as Eddie had last game, although it didn’t seem to be against the rules when  _ he  _ did it. 

The next game was Eddie and Ben against Stan and Elle, and Eddie managed to give Elle a good push and sent her backwards off Stan’s shoulders. Elle would later look back at the loss as being Eddie’s fault for distracting her, although she didn’t dare share that with their friends. A few more rounds were played before everybody started to get tired. 

Eventually the chicken fights were replaced by conversation and teasing as the group moved to shallower waters where they could sit in the warm June sun and talk amongst each other. Elle listened to Richie and Bev go back and forth for a little as she sat on the sandy bottom of the Quarry. She leaned back on her hands, her light eyes closed as she soaked in the sun. Eddie sat near her, watching her adoringly as he too lounged in the sun. Stan also sat not far away from Elle, although he was watching over the lake. Bill sat across from Elle, a thoughtful expression on his face. Bev and Richie sat on either side of Bill as they joked and teased, and Ben sat beside Bev, watching her the same way Eddie watched Elle. 

Then something bit down on her toes and Elle let out a shriek as she thrashed in the water, submerging herself temporarily and scaring everybody out of their peaceful day. Eddie was the first to react, lurching forward to grab her arm and pull her up to stand. Elle gasped for breath and coughed out what water she had breathed in in surprise, gripping Eddie as she did so. Stan and Bill were in front of her in an instant. 

“What happened?” Stan asked, his worried eyes flickering between hers. 

“W-what’s w-wr-wrong?” Bill asked at the same time, his eyes on the water. 

Eddie still held Elle up, but his eyes moved to the water too. The others were all on their feet now on high alert. 

“I think something bit me,” Elle spoke up, her eyes too going to the water. She was sitting perfectly still, so something would have had to come up to her. It definitely felt like a bite, although it didn’t feel like something that had any fangs or sharp teeth. 

At Elle’s revelation everybody began looking through the water in search of something that could have bit her, but Eddie stayed with her. Her toes didn’t hurt, it was just the surprise that made her scream. Her friends started diving in the water to find the attacker, and Elle watched as Richie came back up. She doubted Richie could have seen what bit her if it was a Great White Shark right in front of him without his glasses, but she appreciated his effort.

“Are you okay?” Eddie asked, his face only inches from hers. He stared at her worriedly, although a smile began to spread across Elle’s lips. 

“I’m fine, I just got scared,” she nodded, and she watched Eddie’s eyes flicker back to the water as Bill resurfaced not far from where Elle and Eddie stood. Bill looked happy and relieved as he laughed. 

“It’s a turtle!” 


	10. Bust A Move

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Losers' day at the beach turns dark.

Songs for this chapter are

Bust a Move by Young MC

She Drives Me Crazy by Fine Young Cannibals

______________________________________________________________

  
  


It didn’t take too long for the group of teenagers to climb back up to where they had left their bikes, bags and clothes. Of course it was uphill, and Eddie had to make a dive for his inhaler immediately when they got up the hill. The others had gotten to work setting up an area for them to hang out in. They had found some rocks where the hot June sun shone down and had decided to set up camp there. 

Richie had brought his boombox with him and cranked the music up as soon as it was turned on. Stan and Ben started to go through the snacks brought by Elle and Richie (although Richie’s were the snacks he had raided Mrs. Kaspbrak’s cupboards for) and distributing everybody’s favorites from their spots on the warm rocks.

Bill and Eddie had brought everybody’s bags over, and Bill had grabbed his sister’s little bag containing her inhalers that she had tied to her handlebars just in case. 

Elle was in the midst of pulling all the snacks she had packed out of Bill’s backpack when Bev moved to crouch beside her. Nobody had bothered to put their clothes back on, so Bev and Elle remained in their bras and underwear and the boys walked around in their boxers. 

“Can I have a towel?” Bev asked from beside Elle, who immediately pulled out Bill’s red towel and handed it to Bev. Eddie, Stan and Ben had all packed towels so they didn’t have to worry about a shortage. Bill and Eddie were returning with the last bag, grins on their faces as they walked. Eddie looked surprisingly tan next to Bill, who was a nice pale color, much like Elle guessed she was. 

“Elle?” Bev spoke up, and Elle tore her eyes away from Eddie to look at the red-haired girl. Bev had unrolled the towel and had spread it across the ground in the sun. “Come tan with me, we look like ghosts,” Bev smiled, her green eyes bright in the sun. 

“You mean I look like a ghost,” Elle grinned, grabbing her blue towel from the bag and moving towards Bev. Elle spread her towel out beside Bev, closer to where the boys were starting to sit on the rocks with the snacks. “It probably runs in the family,” Elle joked, jabbing her thumb towards her brothers. 

Bev’s eyes were already on the older Denbrough sibling, and she only smiled in response to Elle. Elle watched Bev for a moment with a small smile on her face. 

_ Oh, Bill,  _ she thought with a smile. Then her smile wavered _. Oh, Ben…  _

Bev moved and sat down on her towel. Bill had left Bev’s bag beside her towel and Bev pulled a pair of sunglasses from her bag. They complimented her face well and she let them rest on the end of her nose as she watched the boys. Elle sat down beside her, leaning back on her hands and letting her legs stretch out in front of her body. 

“Elle, you didn’t!” Stan suddenly blurted, catching everybody’s attention. His hands were still in Bill’s backpack and Elle knew what he had found. A grin covered his face as he glanced between Elle and the inside of the bag. Stan pulled a Squeezeit from the bag and held it up for the group to see. 

“What is it?” Ben asked, his eyebrows furrowed as he watched Stan. 

“Only the best treat ever,” Stan smiled wide, offering the Squeezit he held to Ben. Elle had packed one for everybody, plus a few extras she knew Stan would appreciate. Stan handed them all out, tossing Elle and Bev theirs. Eddie and Bill moved to sit with the others guys on the rocks, and the group listened to Richie’s music as they snacked. 

“This song sucks,” Richie frowned as he started to switch radio stations. It didn’t take long for the rest of the guys to start suggesting stations to him, which slowly started to turn into bickering. 

Bev only giggled and laid back, and Elle copied her. 

“You’re lucky to have them,” Bev said quietly so only Elle could hear. Elle turned her head to look at Bev, who looked like a movie star laying in the sun in her underwear and sunglasses. Elle was sure this was a scene right out of a movie. 

“You have them too now,” Elle said back, keeping her voice low so as not to disturb the quarreling guys. “You have us all now. We keep eachother safe,” she smiled, and she watched Bev turn her head to look at her too, although Elle couldn’t see her eyes because of the sunglasses she wore. Elle could, however, see the smile that grew on Bev’s face. “You’re one of us now, Bev Marsh,” Elle continued with a smile that mirrored Bev’s. “Welcome to the club.” 

Bev’s smile grew into a toothy grin, and the girls laid there for a moment of silence (boys yelling and the static of the radio as they messed with the knobs) before the radio landed on a channel where the music came through clearly. 

“Ooohh, yessss!” Richie yelled, and Elle and Bev laughed when they heard the song come through. 

_ This here’s a jam for all the fellas,  _

_ Tryin’ to do what those ladies tell us _ ,

Unbeknownst to the sunbathing girls, the boys had lost interest in what radio station they listened to and had instead turned their attention to none other than Beverly Marsh and Elle Denbrough, who were laying in the sun.

Eddie in particular started at the blonde girl he was so lucky to have kissed yesterday, and imagined how lucky he felt when they kissed again today. Plus she had said she could go to Eddie’s house this evening to tell him something, and he would love to get lucky enough to kiss her again. 

_ How the hell did this happen, _ Eddie thought as he stared at the blonde with nothing but adoration in his deep brown eyes. 

Bill and Ben had their sights set upon Bev, and they were thinking pretty much the same thing Eddie was. How lucky that had gotten to run into Bev yesterday, how lucky they were now, and how they couldn’t believe it. 

Stan and Richie split their gazes between the red-haired girl and the blonde girl, and Stan pulled out another Squeezeit for himself.

_ Get shot down ‘cause ya overzealous,  _

_ Play hard to get, females get jealous _ , 

The radio played loudly as the girls laid with their eyes closed, soaking in the warm summer sun, unaware of their audience. 

Eddie looked on, although he tore his eyes away several times because of how bad he felt to stare when Elle wasn’t aware. He liked when she caught him looking at her because then at least she knew he was staring. Just staring without making eye contact felt wrong to him, but he couldn’t help but steal a few looks… or more than a few. 

_ Okay Smarty, go to a party,  _

_ Girls are scantily clad and showin’ body _ , 

Just then Bev let out a small sneeze that, regardless of how quiet it was, startled Elle enough for her to snap her eyes open and sit up a little, resting on her elbows. Her eyes took a second to readjust to the light, but she immediately felt several pairs of eyes looking in her direction. 

Elle snuck a peak in the guy’s direction and immediately felt the heat rise to her face. Every single one of the guys started over at her and Bev, and upon making eye contact with Elle, looked utterly mortified at having been caught. They all jerked their bodies in different directions and their eyes went anywhere but the direction of the girls, although the silence that remained was a good indicator that they had just been concentrating on staring. Bill and Eddie both cleared their throats, and Eddie stood up quickly and took a few steps around the rocks, pretending to be busy. 

The sound of clearing throats was enough to draw Bev’s attention to how eerily silent it had been, and Bev sat up to survey the group through the dark lenses of her sunglasses. The boys looked awkward and stiff in the positions they sat, and Eddie looked especially awkward with his hands crossed over his chest as he shifted his weight. Richie, Ben and Stan all wore various shades of pink on their faces as they directed their eyes to the snacks in front of them and did their best to look interested in reading labels. 

The previous song had switched and in its place “She Drives Me Crazy” played. Elle glanced to Bev and the two girls shared a knowing smile as they soaked in the sun and watched the guys for amusement. 

Bev rolled onto her stomach and Elle watched Richie start to go through Ben’s backpack against Ben’s wishes. 

Richie spoke in his new reporter voice and commented as he pulled some large, old looking books from Ben’s bag. 

“News flash, Ben,” Richie teased, laying the books across his lap. “School’s out for the summa!!” 

Ben looked a little nervous as Richie thumbed through the pages, still commenting in his reporter voice. 

“That’s not school stuff,” Ben blushed, watching as Richie lost interest in the books and moved back to Ben’s bag. 

“What’s this?” Riche asked, sounding like he was about to tell them all about the weather. He pulled out a Derry postcard. “Who sent you this?” he broke character as he stared at the front of the postcard. Elle could see writing on the back, but Ben pulled it from Richie’s grasp quickly, which was the most “violent” thing Elle had seen the boy do. 

“Nobody sent it,” Ben frowned, holding the postcard to his bare chest. Richie lost interest in the postcard and went back to looting Ben’s backpack. 

“For fuck’s sake, Richie,” Elle sighed, sitting up and crossing her legs. “You better have a search warrant to be looking through Ben’s stuff like that,” she frowned, although Richie paid her no attention. Ben gave her a small, thankful smile, but looked back to Richie as he pulled a folder from Ben’s bag. 

“What’s with the history project?” Eddie had moved from behind the guys to get a better look at the folder Richie had, his arms still crossed over his chest as he moved back to his previous spot to sit down. Elle felt Bev sit up and move closer to her to hear better. 

“Before you guys I spent a lot of time at the library,” Ben shrugged, obviously not used to his work being given this much attention by so many people at once. 

Richie handed the folder to Bill, who looked through it with the same thoughtful look he had worn when they had set in the water earlier. 

“You spent time at the library  _ on purpose _ ?” Richie asked, sounding disgusted at the thought. 

“Shut up,” Stan spoke up immediately, nudging Richie with his elbow as Eddie leaned over him to get a better look at the folder. 

“Don’t worry Ben, Richie just finds it hard to be in a library because he can’t read anything,” Elle teased, getting a shy smile out of Ben and the middle finger from Richie. Eddie was quick to slap Richie’s hand down and glance at Elle, who smiled at him sweetly. Elle stood from the towel and moved towards Eddie, her arms crossed over her chest as she moved quickly. Regardless, Richie smirked and pulled his glasses down his nose so he could look over them at Elle, who rolled her eyes and took a seat beside Eddie quickly. 

“Well I want to see too,” Bev spoke up, also getting up from her towel and moving to take a seat on one of the smaller rocks near Bill’s legs where she could see. This time Richie just blatantly stared at Bev as she walked. 

“What’s the Black Spot?” Stan asked, still leaning over and squinting to see what was in the folder. Eddie and Elle relied on Stan to see for them and voice what he saw. There was no way there would be enough room for them all to crowd around at once. 

Eddie took this opportunity to sit close to Elle, and he rested his hand around her waist out of sight from the rest of the group if they were to look. Elle blushed and subconsciously leaned into his body, and the two of them listened to their friends like this, completely undisturbed despite the PDA and the close proximity of Richie Trashmouth Tozier. 

“The Black Spot was a nightclub that burned down years ago because of that racist group,” Ben spoke, sounding wise beyond his years as he did so. 

Bill was no longer looking at the folder like the rest of their friends were. Instead he was staring back to Bev, who sat near her legs and peered into the folder curiously. Elle was about to speak to get his attention to avoid Bev catching Bill’s glances when Bill spoke. 

“Y-y-your hair…” Bill simply said, although Elle knew it was his way of asking Bev why she had cut it. They all saw her short hair earlier, although to Elle’s knowledge nobody had been bold enough to ask about it until now. Bev seemed to hesitate in answering, and then Ben jumped in to rescue her. 

“Your hair looks beautiful, Beverly,” Ben smiled, and Bev returned his gesture and glanced down, tucking a curl behind her ear. 

“Oh, yeah. Thanks,” She spoke quietly, and then the exchange was over. Elle caught the awkward glances exchanged between Ben and her brother, and she made a note to herself to slap Bill upside the head later and teach him better ways of asking girls things. Bill returned his gaze to Bev, and Richie made a grab for the folder. Bill let it go easily, and Richie once again became the centre of everybody’s attention. Stan moved closer to sit shoulder to shoulder with Richie, and Eddie slid over to sit close to Stan too, although he kept his hand on Elle’s back as she copied him and slid over to get a better look at the folder. Ben, Bill and Bev did the same, getting closer to Richie to see better. From what Elle could see the folder contained many old photos and lots of pages of writing, some of it in blue ink which she guessed was Ben’s, some in dark that was probably pretty old. 

“Why’s it all murders and missing people?” Richie asked with a frown, passing the folder carefully down the line to Stan. Elle leaned into Eddie more, who tightened his arm around her waist to pull her in as he stared at the folder. She could feel the butterflies stir in her stomach despite the dark conversation the group had begun. Elle could see it a lot better now, and from here she could see the photos looked to be all young people as Stan thumbed through them. 

“Derry isn’t like any town I’ve been in before,” Ben started talking like he was much older than he was. “They did a study here once, and it turns out people die or disappear at six times the national average.” 

Silence overtook the group as Ben spoke, and the warm air seemed to chill when he read out that statistic. 

“You read that?” Bev broke the silence, looking up at Ben with her green eyes wide. 

Ben nodded. “Yeah, and that’s only looking at adults. Kids are way, way worse,” he frowned, and Elle got a chill up her spine so bad that Eddie turned to look at her with his worried eyes.

Elle thought back to the night before. 

_ The door being open.  _

_ The book.  _

_ The photo.  _

_ Eddie and Elle kissing in the photo, or video.  _

_ The clown.  _

_ God, especially the clown _ . 

All of the hair on Elle’s body stood on end and the nearly-healed cuts on her hand seemed more present than ever as Elle resisted the urge to touch them with her free hand. 

“I’ve got more stuff at home if you guys want to see it,” Ben offered, and Elle knew he was glad they had taken an interest in his studies, but Elle feared what Ben would show them. If he showed them the clown, she wondered if anybody else in the group would recognize It. 

Eddie’s gaze was still on Elle, and she looked at her nervously. Eddie could tell something wasn’t right with her, and he could feel it too. Something wasn’t right in general, in Derry. 

“L-let’s g-go,” Bill spoke for the group, who had been exchanging silent glances between one another. 

So they packed up their snacks and towels and redressed, and took off once more on their bikes with Ben in the lead. 


	11. Quality Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group checks out Ben's bedroom, and Elle helps Stan study.

Songs for this chapter are

  
  


Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me by Elton John

Lean on Me by Bill Withers

____________________________________________________________

  
  


The very second Ben’s bike hit the ground on his front yard he dashed for the door in a hurry to get inside right away. 

_ His room is probably messy, _ Elle thought.  _ He wasn’t expecting anybody to come over. _

The others dumped their bikes on the grass around him, except for Stan, who propped his bike up on the kickstand.

“Would it kill you to act like you’re not a thirty year old virgin, Stanley?” Richie chirped, drawing a disapproving frown from Stan. 

“I respect my bike and I don’t want my handlebars scuffed,” Stan replied, and Elle watched Richie stare at the curly-haired boy a moment longer before shaking his head sadly, murmuring something about Stan being a virgin for the rest of his life. 

“C-come o-on,” Bill tried to get everybody back on course, although Bev was already following Ben through the front door and Bill was well on his way there. Richie was the next to turn and follow, and the last three were quick to follow the group into Ben’s house. Elle glanced around at Ben’s house as Stan moved in front of her to climb the stairs. Footsteps echoed throughout the house Bill and Richie bounded up the stairs two at a time in front of them. 

“They’re going to slip and fall,” Elle could hear Eddie murmur from behind her as she followed Stan. She glanced back for a moment to meet Eddie’s eyes, and smiled down at him. His hair was messed from the ride over and he wore an expression of worry. 

“Then you can say you called it,” Elle assured him, and a small smile turned Eddie’s lips upright. Elle knew Bill wouldn’t fall; she had seen him take stairs 3 at a time at a speed that made this look like going backwards. 

At the top of the stairs they followed Stan, who had gotten upstairs quickly and was already walking into a room down the hall. Elle was quick to follow him, and the moment she stepped into Ben’s bedroom she was in complete awe. 

Dozens and dozens of pages, pictures and documents were pasted to his walls, and on his nightstand and desk were folders packed full with what Elle assumed were the things Ben couldn’t fit on his walls. 

“Wow, Ben,” Elle breathed as she glanced around the room. Around her the others were doing the same thing, and Ben’s face was hot as he watched his new friends admire his work. 

“Holy shit,” Richie mumbled as he stepped towards a wall to squint at the pages. The room looked like it belonged to a university student studying the history of Derry, not a 16 year old who had just started summer break. 

“Cool, huh?” Ben asked nobody in particular, sounding proud as he watched his friends start to spread out to read his walls. 

“Not really,” Richie replied, and Elle could feel everybody in the room turn to look at him. He looked closely at the wall and pushed his falling glasses back up his nose. “Wait, maybe this is…” he sounded skeptical, and then sighed. “Nope, nothing cool.” 

“D-don’t be a d-di-dick,” Bill spoke softly from the other side of the room where he was staring at the wall. Riche fell silent and kept looking at the papers. 

Elle moved toward Richie, curious as to what he had begun reading so intently. She couldn’t recall Richie concentrating so hard on something since he spent days masterminding last year’s last day of school prank. She felt Eddie move to join her, and the three of them searched the wall. 

“What’s this?” Elle turned to Ben, her finger on a document that looked huge and important. Ben had been watching Bev as she roamed around his room, eyes on the walls, but now he turned to the blonde girl with a blush. 

“That’s the charter for the Derry Township,” Ben grinned, and Elle turned back to the document as both Ben and Stan moved towards her. The document was a long piece of paper that ran down his wall, with red ink covering it in circles and writing. 

“Nerd alert,” Richie snickered, and Elle watched Eddie slap his arm out of the corner of her eye. 

Ben didn’t seem to care, or he just ignored Richie’s comment. “It’s actually really interesting if you read it.” 

“You must know everything there is to know about Derry,” Elle spoke quietly, but she could feel Ben move up beside her, a smile on his freckled face. 

“I know a lot,” he admitted, and Elle knew he must have. Ben must know more about Derry than the rest of them, which was something because they had lived here their whole lives and Ben was still called “New Kid” in school. “Derry actually started as a beaver trapping camp-” 

“Still is, am I right fellas?” Richie cut Ben off, and Elle turned to watch him raise his hand for somebody to high-five, although nobody moved. Stan only moved his head to once again shake it in disapprovement. Richie scowled and let his hand fall to his side. 

Leave it to Richie to make a perverted joke about Derry’s history in a room full of people who would love to slap him for most of the jokes he made, especially when it was a joke the two girls in their presence frowned at.

Elle watched Eddie scowl and move away from Richie to get a closer look at a photo, and Elle turned her eyes back to the wall to find a different document to ask Ben about. There was no hiding how much Ben liked to talk about his research. 

_ Oh God, _ Elle thought as she realized how many posters reading “MISSING” were pasted to Ben’s wall, and she found herself looking for one that read “GEORGE DENBROUGH’. She could feel a weight begin to press down on her chest as she scanned the faces in the posters, most of them young children with smiling faces. 

“Ninety-one people signed the charter that made Derry, but later that winter they all disappeared without a trace,” Ben added, and Elle could feel the general mood of the room sink and the anxiety level rise. 

“Everybody?” Eddie asked, sounding bewildered that ninety-one people could just fall off the earth. 

As Elle scanned the faces of the missing she listened intently to Ben. 

“There were rumors of Indians, but no signs of an attack,” Ben continued, sounding unfazed. Elle gave up on looking for a certain poster and her eyes fell back to the charter document, and then to a picture beside it. It was obviously hand-drawn and very old, but there was something more than that to it. The picture unsettled her, although she couldn’t quite put her finger on why. Goosebumps covered her arm and legs and she rubbed at her arms nervously as she scanned the faces of those signing the charter. None of them looked familiar, which was expected seeing as everybody in the picture would be dead by now. 

“Are you cold?” Suddenly Eddie was beside her, and Elle looked from the picture into his beautiful brown eyes that held depths of adoration and love. He spoke in a low tone that only she could hear, and if she didn’t have goosebumps before she sure as hell would have now. 

“I’m okay,” Elle shook her head and smiled up to Eddie, who looked unconvinced. She wasn’t lying- she wasn’t cold. It was something else. 

“Everybody thought it was a plague or something, but it’s like…” Ben carried on, watching his friend’s thoughtful expressions. “It’s like one day everybody just got up and left. The only clue was a trail of bloody clothes leading to the well house.” Ben gestured to a photo that was on the wall near him, and the boys gathered around Ben. Elle stayed where she was as she watched everybody move, and Eddie moved to her other side to see.

But Elle looked back to the illustration of the Derry charter signing. 

“Jesus, we could get Derry on  _ Unsolved Mysteries _ ,” Richie spoke up, but Elle stayed focused on the drawing. All of the faces were well-illustrated, but she could feel something was wrong with the photo. 

Elle could hear the guys start to whisper and she glanced back at them, not shaking the feeling she had gotten the moment she looked at that picture. She watched Bill step away from the group, a look on his pale face that told Elle the gears in his mind were grinding together. He was fixated on something on Ben’s desk, and Elle stepped quietly around the guys to see what he had found. Bill picked up a few slides from Ben’s desk and turned to his sister as she approached. Bill’s eyes were full of emotion, and he wore a frown as his eyes flickered between Elle’s. 

“W-where w-wa-was the w-well house?” Bill spoke up, obviously talking to Ben. Something clicked in Elle’s head when Bill spoke, and she frowned as she watched his brown eyes jump to Ben. Elle followed Bill’s eyes and watched as the rest of the group faced Ben looking confused as to why the location of the well house would matter. But Elle knew. She had talked to Bill about Georgie. About the sewers below Derry. 

“I don’t know,” Ben answered thoughtfully, and Elle thought this must be the only question he didn’t have a definite answer for. “Somewhere in town, I guess. Why?” 

Bill was quiet for a moment as he set the slides back on Ben’s desk. 

“J-just w-wondering.” 

The group had stayed there for another ten minutes before Eddie’s watch began to beep and he let everybody know he had to run an errand to the pharmacy for his mom and had to leave. Everybody said their goodbyes as they continued to look around the room, except Elle, who looked to Eddie and longed to kiss him goodbye, but only smiled and waved at him as he sent her a cheeky wink. Bev was next to dismiss herself. She had been quiet the whole time they had been at Ben’s, and looked troubled as she left the room. Stan was next to tell everybody he had to get home to practice speaking and reading in Hebrew. Elle caught his eye as he spoke and was reminded of a promise she had made earlier. She promised Bill she would call, not wanting to tell him in front of everybody that she would be visiting Eddie after Stan’s. 

Stan and Elle left after listening to Richie joke about how Stan might not be a virgin for the rest of his life after all, and Stan grumbled about Richie’s antics on the bike ride to his place. Stan didn’t live far from Ben, and propped his bike up on it’s stand when they got to his house. Elle simply let her bike lean up against his house, and the two of them went into Stan’s house. 

His house was always warm and cozy, and Elle felt a smile grow when she saw his mom in the kitchen, but it quickly disappeared as they entered and saw Stan’s dad sitting at the dining room table. 

“Stanley, you know it’s close to dinner,” his mom frowned, although she was quick to add, “Unless Elle wants to stay for dinner?”.

Stan glanced back to the blonde, who stood in the doorway of the kitchen looking between Stan and his mom. Stan only smiled in response, and Elle found herself getting red. 

“If it’s not too much trouble-” Elle started to speak, feeling awkward for having had disturbed Stan’s parents. 

“It’s not!” Stan’s mom cut her off with a smile as she turned back to the stove. Stan’s eyes left her to glance at his dad, who didn’t look all that impressed with Elle’s presence. He never really looked impressed to see any of them, especially since Richie broke one of the windows last year throwing rocks. 

“Hi, Elle,” Mr. Uris greeted, but didn’t sound all that friendly. “What brings you here?” 

Stan was quick to answer for Elle. 

“She’s going to help me with my studying,” he answered fast, and his dad was quick to raise an eyebrow. Studying was the wrong work to use. School was out. 

“Hebrew,” Elle stepped up, drawing Mr. Uris’ attention. “He wants me to listen to him talk.” 

Mr. Uris remained quiet, looking between Stan and Elle with pretty much no emotion of any kind in his face. 

“Are you Jewish?” He asked finally, and Elle knew she meant her. 

“No, sir, but-” 

“Then I don’t see why Stan would ask you to listen to him. Do you know Hebrew? Can you correct him when he makes a mistake?” 

Elle could feel the heat begin to rise to her face as Stan’s dad began to ask questions. Stan stepped back a bit to stand beside her, and Elle found comfort in his nearness. 

“I just want her to listen,” Stan defended, his eyes on his dad. Stan looked stressed as he stood next to Elle. She could see one of his large hands in a fist behind his back, and she knew he was beginning to get frustrated. This is why Stan never brought his friends over. This, and the fact that Richie was banned. 

“There isn’t any point in her being here if she can’t correct you,” Mr. Uris went on, and it was very clear to Elle that he didn’t like her being here with Stan. She felt more and more uncomfortable as she listened to Stan’s dad speak. “It’s one thing to be able to talk in front of some girl, Stanley, but it’s another thing to stand up and make a complete fool out of me by mispronounce-” 

“He won’t mess up,” Elle spoke before she really thought it over. Stan and his dad both looked over to the small blonde girl standing in their kitchen. Elle racked her brain for what to say to Mr. Uris that would make up for interrupting him, but she found herself looking at Stan. 

Poor Stan, who just wanted to have somebody he trusted to sit with him and listen to him as he practiced. 

Stan, who was the adult in their friend group, and always looked out for the others as if they were his kids. 

Stan, who liked when Elle brought him Squeeze Its because his parents didn’t buy them. 

“Stan won’t mess up,” Elle repeated, and she listened to Mr. Uris scoff, but he didn’t speak again. 

Stan stared at her and Elle watched the corners of his lips twitch up when she looked back to him with a smile of her own. 

Dinner with the Uris’ was eaten quickly and silently. The odd words were exchanged between Mrs. Uris and the kids, but Mr. Uris remained quiet. Elle didn’t think she could feel more uncomfortable than she did in this moment, as she twirled spaghetti around her fork and listened to Stan recount the fake picnic they had been on with their friends. Mrs. Uris asked about who had been there and what they had done, and Stan cooly left out Richie’s name and told his mom about the new friend who told them all about Derry’s history. 

By the end of dinner Stan’s mom seemed more than impressed with their day and told them they could be excused so Stan could practice. Stan’s dad finally spoke up to let them know they could practice in the living room on different chairs, and he watched the two teenagers stand and disappear into the living room. 

  
  
  
  


It was nearing 8 o’clock when Stan closed the book he had been reading from and sighed quietly. 

“I suck at this,” he spoke quietly, his dark eyes on the book cover. Stan had been growing increasingly frustrated during the last 30 minutes and had finally given up. 

“No you don’t,” Elle was quick to answer from her chair. She was seated across the table from Stan with her legs crossed. She had rested her head on her hands as she listened, and found joy in watching Stan’s facial expressions as he spoke. She had absolutely no idea what he was saying, but she liked watching his eyebrows raise and his lips pout when he misread a word. 

Stan glanced up from the book in his hands and took in Elle’s appearance. Her hands still supported her head and she watched him intently. Even when Stan looked up at her she didn’t break eye contact. A small blush began to grow on the boy’s cheeks as he set the book aside and leaned forward, copying her and resting his head on his hands. 

“My dad was right, I can’t read it for shit,” Stan frowned, his eyebrows furrowing and his eyes darting between hers. Elle was surprised he had sworn with his parents in the house, but knew it was because he was getting frustrated with his pronunciation. 

Elle was quiet for a moment as she studied his face. “You just have to practice. That’s what I’m here for, right?” She leaned forward on the table and let her legs stretch out in front of her. She nudged Stan’s foot with hers and watched as his frown was replaced by a small smile. 

“Yeah, I guess,” he spoke teasingly, dimples appearing beside his lips. He broke eye contact and nudged Elle’s foot back as he too stretched. It was Stan’s turn to be quiet for a moment, and Elle watched his eyes flicker around as he thought. 

Elle had never been able to spend a lot of time with Stan when they were in the group, and she liked being able to talk to him without Richie making fun of him. Stan was more alert when he was at home because of his dad, but Elle liked being able to sit with him and help him in a way she doubted any of the guys would have the patience for. 

“Can we do this again?” Stan broke Elle’s train of thoughts, and she realized he was looking back at her. He looked hopeful and nervous, and Elle found herself laughing a little at his expression. 

“Of course we will,” she nodded, and watched Stan’s shoulders drop as he relaxed. “We can do it at my place next time?” Elle offered, watching as Stan nodded quickly. She knew Stan needed a break from home every once in a while, just like Eddie did. 

_ Eddie.  _

Elle’s light eyes left Stan’s and went to the large grandfather clock she knew Stan’s mom loved. It was nearing 8:30 and she had promised Eddie an explanation for her hand. She hated to leave Stan, but she knew she would probably see him tomorrow, at least for a little bit. 

“I hate to leave but I have to make a pit stop before I get home,” Elle glanced back at Stan and watched his face fall a little. 

“What’s the pit stop?” He asked, sitting up as he listened. 

Elle hesitated for a moment. “I need to talk to Eddie about something-” 

Stan’s face fell further and he nodded. Elle watched as he glanced away from her and towards the clock. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow though, right?” she added, drawing his attention back. Stan smiled a little and nodded again. 

“I wonder what shitty adventure Bill will have set up for us,” he teased again, but this time it sounded more forced. 

Stan stood to walk Elle to the front door, making sure to go the way that avoided his parents, who were still in the dining room. Elle kneeled to put on her shoes and Stan moved to lean against the wall near the doorframe. He remained quiet as Elle tied her laces and stood, straightening out her dress as she looked up to the curly-haired boy. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow,’ Elle repeated from earlier, and Stan opened the front door for her with a small, sad smile. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he agreed, and stepped outside with her. “Can you do me a favor?” 

Elle glanced back up at him, her eyebrows furrowed. “Sure.” 

“Call me as soon as you get to Eddie’s. I know it’s a 5 minute bike ride from here. If you don’t call me in 8 minutes I’m going to come out looking for you, okay?” Stan didn’t meet her eyes as he spoke. Instead, he stared out at the road. 

Elle felt warmth blossom in her chest as she listened to Stan talk, and she moved in while he was distracted to press a small, soft kiss to his cheek. 

“I promise, Stan,” she agreed, and started towards her bike. Stan didn’t say anything until she was on her bike, rolling towards the road. 

“I mean it!” He called out to her. “8 minutes! At 8:39 I’m coming out if I don’t get a call!” 

Elle only laughed as she turned onto his street and waved to Stan, who waved back, still a little dazed from the kiss she had planted on his cheek. She may be headed to Eddie’s house right now, but Stan knew she was his favorite person in their group of friends. She never teased him, she never made fun of him for propping up his bike, and she always seemed to be the one who cared the most for him. Elle was his favorite person, and Stan would gladly do anything she said. Stan would even go as far to say he loved her, but he wasn’t sure in what way. She was his best friend, he knew that, but he didn’t know what else. 

He watched her bike down the street and turn in the direction of Eddie Kaspbrak’s house. 


	12. Girl Afraid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elle has two near-miss run-ins in the same night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I've been awful at updating. I rewrote this chapter 5 times because I kept not liking the way it went but this is the 5th time and I'd say it's not bad! I'll try to update a lot more this week!

Songs for this chapter are

Holding Out for a Hero by Bonnie Tyler

More Than a Woman by the Bee Gees

Elle’s hair tangled as she turned off Stan’s street and raced down towards some of the smaller shops that lined some of the streets off of the Main street. This was the fastest way to Eddie’s and Elle wanted to make sure she didn’t give Stan a reason to worry about her. Stan had more important things to worry about, especially at home now that he had yet again brought “one of them” home. She didn’t want to imagine how Stan’s father would talk down to Stan about his friends, or as Mr. Uris called them, “those kids”.

She neared the shops and slowed down a little as she moved onto the sidewalk from the road. She was beginning to think like Eddie. At this time of day the chances of a car seeing her race across the street was slim, and when you took into account the lack of people stopping at stop signs you had the perfect recipe for an Elle pancake. Her bike squeaked a little as it climbed the curb and Elle heard distant laughter from up ahead. 

Across the street a bright red balloon bobbed up and down on its string, which was tied to a sewer grate. The wind gusted for a moment, but the balloon didn’t move with it. Instead it continued bobbing up and down.

Her bike rolled along on the sidewalk at a decent pace and she thought for a moment that Bill, Richie and Ben might still be hanging out, though she wasn’t sure what they would be doing by the shops at this time. Her bike tires rolled over a deep crack in the sidewalk and something jumped out at her in her mind. 

_ They wouldn’t be at the shops at this time. You didn’t have to come anywhere near here to go between the Denbrough and Tozier residences, and Ben’s place wasn’t near here either... _

**  
  
**

Elle could feel herself break out into a sweat despite the breeze, and the familiar feeling of her chest tightening came to her. She had just started to slow down to breathe for a moment when she saw them just about a block ahead of her. They didn’t wear big glasses like Richie, or stand 6 feet tall like Bill, or have that shaggy haircut Ben had. Elle’s bike came to a rolling stop and the laughter ceased. 

The silence was deafening. 

No people. 

No cars. 

Just them.

“Look who it is!” A voice boomed from one of the figures. Her stomach churched when Elle recognized the dark mullet on one boy and the bright blue baseball cap on the other one. 

“Fuck,” she mumbled, seeming to go into shock as she watched the older boys who had tormented her friends for so long start to come towards her. She kicked off and her bike dropped off the curb into the street. 

“It’s “L”!” The mullet-clad figure seemed to cheer, holding his hand to his forehead with his thumb and index finger in the shape of an “L”. His friend seemed to think it was the funniest thing he had ever seen and started to laugh again. The two boys started to pick up speed and began to jog towards her, but to Elle it looked like they were coming in slow motion.

It was just her luck that she would run into Bowers and Belch when she was all alone. 

She raised herself from the bike seat and put all her weight on the pedals of the bike as she started forward and angled the handlebars away from Bowers and Belch. She almost had her back to them when a flash of metal caught her attention. Bowers had pulled a knife from the pocket of his pants and pressed the button so it would spring out. That’s when the panic really began to kick in. 

**  
  
**

_ What would they do if they caught up to her?  _

_ She didn’t have anybody with her and even Stan didn’t know whether or not she had gone the long way or taken the shortcut by the shops.  _

_ In short, Elle Denbrough was completely and utterly screwed.  _

“C’mon Denbrough! Come hang out with us!” Belch taunted from behind her. He sounded a little out of breath, but that didn’t comfort Elle. She had seen them give chase to other people and she knew they were surprisingly quick for their size, especially for an asthmatic on a bike that badly needed Bill to tune it up.

“Come show us what you do to all your little boyfriends!” Henry called after her, and Elle felt her throat tighten as she turned her attention to getting the bike going as fast as it could. 

_ I’m on a bike. I had a head start. They’ll run out of breath before I do. I’ll be fine. _

Elle got the bike going pretty fast before she decided to check in on her pursuers, but all it took was a quick glance over her shoulder to scare the absolute hell out of her. Henry was running with his knife clutched in his right hand, and the two of them were maybe half a block behind her. Bowers and Belch were yelling less but gaining on her more. Elle would have gladly stood and been called obscene names if it meant the two boys would slow down, but to her it only seemed like they were gaining. Her bike let out a little creak as she pumped her pedals and for a moment she thought the old thing was going to give up and break on her right now. 

_ Damn you, Bill,  _ Elle cursed inside her head when it began to seem to her like the bike had reached its maximum speed as she sped back the way she had just come. _ If you hadn’t gotten Silver I wouldn’t have wanted to copy you.  _

As Elle rode up to an intersection she briefly contemplated her escape. She could turn left and get to either her house or Eddie’s, or she could turn right and get to Stan’s house faster.

“C’mon, slut!” Henry yelled from behind her, and Elle realized they were closer than she had thought. A wheeze sounded from her throat as she sucked in a breath and looked back over her shoulder at Bowers and Belch. 

Belch looked like this was a regular thing and he was having a good time doing it, but Bowers looked serious. Elle’s hair whipped into her face as she raced towards the intersection she hoped was empty and stared at the Bowers boy. Elle had never seen him look this focused or serious when he had chased them before. Henry looked like he was going to seriously hurt her if he caught up to her, maybe even kill her from the nasty glare he 

wore and the way he clutched the switchblade in his fist. 

_ I choose faster. I need to get to Stan. _

Elle moved towards the right side of the road to take the turn, but she might as well have loudly announced to them that she was going to take a right turn because from behind her she could hear the boys begin to shout. 

“Bitch!” 

“Do it! Throw it!” 

Elle didn’t have time to think about what Belch screamed for Henry to throw before she hissed in both pain and surprise and watched the silver knife skid across the road in front of her. Henry had thrown his knife at her, probably intending to pop her bike tire, but had missed and cut her ankle instead. 

She cranked the handlebars and took a hard right as she glanced down at her ankle. It looked shallow, but who the hell knows what was on that knife. Probably the blood of a ton of other kids. The conversation from the day before about AIDS blood came back to her, or rather Eddie’s rant. 

Ben’s blood was on that knife. A chill ran down her spine as she thought about how many kids Henry had used that knife on and Elle had half a mind to stop and pick up the knife to take it away from Henry so he would have to find a new weapon. The other half of her mind told her to leave it in the intersection because who knows what those boys would do to her if they caught her. That, and they would never give up the chase if Bowers knew Elle had his beloved knife. 

Elle felt guilty as she straightened out on the road towards Stan’s house and not towards Eddie’s. She knew Stan and his parents were all home and could help her out. She couldn’t guarantee Eddie was home, or that Bill and her parents were. She didn’t want to be stuck outside on Eddie’s porch banging on the door when Bowers and Belch caught up to her. 

Bowers and Belch took the right turn not long after her, but this route yielded another positive attribute for the blonde girl who was now racing down the street towards her curly-haired friend’s house. She had come slightly uphill on her way to the shops and now she had the advantage of going downhill on her way back to Stan’s. Elle pumped her pedals even harder as she whizzed down the hill at a speed that would have impressed Bill and easily rounded the corner near the bottom of the slope. Stan’s house was just another right turn away, and she knew she would be out of sight then. A quick glance over her shoulder confirmed that her pursuers had fallen behind, although she seemed to have left her ability to take decent breaths back there with them. 

Her heart hammered in her chest as she turned right onto Stan’s street and his house came into view. Stan stood almost in the exact same place Elle had left him in, but this time he had car keys in his hands and wide eyes. As Elle’s bike jumped the curb onto Stan’s driveway she hit the handle bar breaks and skidded to a stop. Her bike fell immediately and Elle grabbed for the tiny bag that was secured to her handlebars. In just a moment she had inhaled her medication and Stan had scrambled to her wheezing side. 

“What happened to Eddie’s?” Stan asked, his eyes scanning over her disheveled appearance as she bent down to pick her bike up off the driveway, her inhaler still in between her teeth and her hair in her eyes. 

“Bowers and Belch,” Elle gasped out, and took another breath of her medication. 

Stan stiffened at the mention of the names and reached out to grasp the blonde’s upper arm. He didn’t grab her arm hard. In Stan’s mind he thought Elle was going to pass out because of lack of air and he thought he had a better chance of catching her before she dropped if he already had a hand on her. 

“How far behind you were they?” He asked, although the look she gave him was enough to tell him it wasn’t good.

Stan grabbed for the handlebars of Elle’s bike and took it from her. He only took a few steps away before he let the bike fall into the tall bushes in his yard and the pink color of the bike was lost in a sea of green leaves and twigs. 

Elle was right behind him, but it was her turn to grab for his shoulder and grab a fistful of his shirt. She only tugged once before Stan got the message and the two of them scrambled for cover from the street behind Stan’s dad’s car. 

Stan went to his knees and Elle only squatted beside him. At this height they could see through the back window and windshield to the street, where they would hopefully not see anybody pass by. 

“Stan?” Elle asked softly despite the distance between them and the intersection. She felt Stan shift to look at her. “You don’t have a car or a license,” she reminded him, evoking a blush from the tall boy. 

“If the cops can’t catch you they can’t give you a ticket,” Stan quoted Richie from days ago and Elle felt a small smile tug at her lips. 

“And what about when your dad heard his car start up and realized his son was gone?” 

Stan didn’t have a quote for that one. 

The two sat in silence for a few more minutes. Their eyes remained focused on the road as they waited for their enemies to make an appearance.

“I’m sorry I lead them this way,” she spoke, and Stan only shrugged. If Bowers and his buddies figured out where any one of them lived she knew they would go out of their way to make life a living hell for everybody at the address. 

“I don’t think you did,” Stan answered as the road remained empty. 

“Or they’re waiting for us to come out.” 

“Don’t be so negative,” he frowned. “Besides, I’m going to drive you to Eddie’s. It’s safer and faster and I already have the keys.” 

“Ask first,” Elle encouraged. If Stan took his dad’s care to drive her home she knew they probably wouldn’t see Stan for at least a week. “I’m going to phone Eddie to make sure he’s home, and I want to borrow a band-aid.” She looked down to her right ankle once more where the bleeding had obviously not stopped, instead seeping into her formerly white sock. 

Stan’s wide eyes dropped to her ankle and he wordlessly nodded and stood from their makeshift hiding spot. The two teens made a run for the door once they were exposed and Stan split off as soon as they stepped foot into the house. Elle made a beeline for the phone in the entryway and dialed Eddie’s number from memory. 

The phone rang once. 

Then twice. 

Then three ti-

“Hello?” A woman’s voice answered and Elle felt her heart drop. 

“Hi Mrs. Kaspbrak. It’s Elle. I’m phoning for Eddie?” 

The line was quiet for a moment. 

“Eddie isn’t feeling well and doesn’t want visitors. He dropped his medication on his way to the pharmacy and was so sick he had to come back home, so he’s resting for the rest of the day.” 

_ Of course he is.  _

“Can you ask him if I can see him for just a second? I promised him earl-” 

“Eddie says he doesn’t want to see you,” Mrs. Kaspbrak responded, much to Elle’s annoyance. It hurt a little to hear her say that Eddie didn’t want to see her, even if she only did it to make sure her son would stay at home with her.

“Just for a seco-” 

Elle was cut off by the static of somebody sliding their palm across the mouthpiece of the phone and frowned. She could only make out muffled talking for a moment before the static disappeared and she heard the voice she longed for. 

“Ellie?” Eddie spoke, his voice low as if he was hiding the fact he was on the phone from his mother who was probably towering over him. But there was something else about the way Eddie spoke. It was almost like the way Bill had spoken after they had watched the horror movie their parents told them not to watch. He had sounded so shaken and nervous for hours after that he had spent the night in Elle’s room.

“Eds,” Elle breathed out in relief. “Are you okay? You mom said that you’re not feeling well?” 

The line was silent for a moment before another one of Eddie’s rants started up again, only this time it had nothing to do with danger or medications or getting AIDS from a drop of blood.

“I only have a little bit to talk before my mom is going to cut the phone off so listen. I can’t see you tonight”. 

Elle’s heart dropped and her face fell into a frown. 

“I’ll explain tomorrow but I saw something, and I can’t talk about it right now.” 

Eddie’s voice really started to sound shaky, like he might start to cry on the phone. Worry began to build as she listened. 

“You’ll explain tomorrow too. We can meet up and talk. I really think we should talk, but I can’t tonight. I just feel so freaked out right now and my mom won’t let me go anywhere anyway at this time. I’ll call you tomorrow though, okay? My mom is coming back, Ellie, so I have to go. I lo-” 

Eddie was cut off and Elle’s mind began to race. What had Eddie seen? Why did he sound so fragile? Why didn’t he want to see her? She had snuck into his room before through the window when they were in junior high when his mom upset him. She could still do it. 

“Alright, Miss Denbrough,” Mrs. Kaspbrak’s voice came back. “Eddie might be able to call you tomorrow but he needs to get his rest. My Eddie is a fragile, ill boy. The last thing he needs is kids calling at this hour to bother him. Eddie is a very fragile boy and he doesn’t need you stressing him out, Miss. Denbrough.” 

_ How ironic, _ Elle thought to herself.  _ I’m the one stressing him out. It’s not at all his mother. Riiiiiight.  _

“Alright,” Elle answered in defeat. She didn’t know why Eddie was so shaken up, or why the two of them needed to talk tomorrow about it. 

“Goodnight.” The line went dead as his mom hung up and Elle’s frown remained. Poor Eddie was upset and locked in his house with his mom. Under regular circumstances Elle would have gone over anyway, but there was something in the way Eddie spoke that told her Eddie couldn’t handle a visitor right now. He had promised that they would talk tomorrow, and that had to be good enough for Elle. She hung the phone back up on the wall and sighed, though it came out as a shaky wheeze.

Stan was leaning against the door with a set of keys in one hand and a bandaid in the other when she turned around.

“Home?” He simply asked, and Elle nodded in reply. She felt embarrassed that Stan had been here when Eddie had told her he didn’t want to see him, even if he probably had a good reason for it. In the end she was still going home and not seeing Eddie, even though Eddie had made her promise to see him tonight. 

Stan only smiled sadly at the blonde girl who looked so defeated and sad as she stepped away from the phone. 

“Before we go let me wipe the blood off so we can get the bandaid on there?” Stan offered, although he had already pulled a cloth out that he had hidden under his arm and had started towards her. Stan got down on one knee in front of Elle and tilted his head to get a look at the cut on her ankle. 

“I washed my hands,” he assured her, reaching over to get a better look. “It doesn’t seem too deep?” Elle knew this wasn’t Stan’s area of expertise. It was hers, and it was Eddie’s. 

Elle nodded and flexed her ankle a little but as she took glanced down to her bloodied sock. 

“I think it was just a bleeder,” She joked a little, watching a small smile grow on Stan’s face. 

“I’ll take care of that,” Stan reached for the towel on his knee and gently cleaned the blood off of her ankle the best he could without scrubbing. “How’d you do it?” 

Elle watched him drop the towel onto the floor and start to unwrap the bandaid. “Bowers threw his knife. I think he wanted to get my back tire, but…” Elle trailed off with a shrug as Stan applied the bandaid to her ankle. 

When Stan stood up and crammed the bandaid wrapper into his front pocket his smile was gone, replaced by a frown. 

“You’re not going out alone anymore,” Stan told her. He sounded strict, like a parent, but also very worried about Elle. Stan knew that Elle wasn’t the biggest person out there or the best runner. He wasn’t either, but he’d rather have Bowers throw a knife at him rather than at Elle. Stan would rather have anything happen to him instead of Elle, which was saying a lot because the rest of the guys in their group thought Stan was a coward. If they could have heard the thoughts racing through his mind at this moment they would know Stan Uris had a lot more to him that they knew. 

**  
  
  
**

It only took a moment for Elle and Stan to untangle the pink bike from the bushes and pack it into the back seat of Mr. Uris’ car. 

“I can’t believe your dad said yes,” Elle thought aloud as she climbed into the passenger seat. Then she perked up and stared at Stan as he started the car. “He doesn’t know you don’t have a license.” 

Stan only blushed in reply but it was confirmation. 

“Stanley Uris!” Elle couldn’t help but laugh as Stan pulled out of his driveway. 

“What they don’t know won’t hurt them,” he glanced over to her and smiled nervously, which made it funnier to Elle. This was so unlike Stan, but at the same time it seemed to suit him. 

“Don’t get caught,” Elle smiled back to him and turned her attention to the road as she relaxed into the passenger seat. Stan turned off his street slowly, on the lookout for their tormentors. 

“I’m going the long way,” he mumbled, and Elle nodded in agreement. She didn’t even want to know how mad Stan’s dad would be if he brought the car back with a slashed tire or a dent, although Elle couldn’t help but think about a Bowers-shaped dent as she stared at the hood of the car.

Stan clicked the radio on and his dad’s previously set station turned on. “More Than a Woman” by the Bee Gees filled the silence and neither of them moved to turn it off. Their ride was silent as they listened to the song. 

They were only a few minutes away from the Denbrough residence when Stan broke the silence with a question he’d been dying to know the answer to but too afraid to ask. 

“Why were you going to Eddie’s?” He asked, his tone low. He didn’t move his eyes from the road in front of him. 

Elle shifted her weight in the seat as she tried to think up a lie. 

“He asked me to help him with something,” Elle offered, although her answer came out as a question and was too vague to be believable. 

The corners of Stan’s mouth lifted a little and he glanced over at the blonde girl who gazed out the window of his dad’s car. His gaze was sad and longing as he looked to her.

“I always knew you would end up with him”. 

Stan had always been soft spoken, but now it was nearly impossible to hear him over the radio. Elle had heard him answer her but didn’t reply. Stan made a slow turn onto her street and began to slow down. She had always known Stan and her were close, but the way he spoke made it clear that Stan knew that he and Eddie were different people to her. 

“I’m sorry,” Elle mumbled as she reached for her seatbelt buckle. She felt guilt begin to weigh on her as she fumbled for the door handle, but Stan’s hand on her shoulder stopped her. 

“Don’t be,” he was a little louder now, although that didn’t cover up the sound of heartbreak. 

Elle turned her head to look at the boy she had thought of as a best friend, maybe even a brother. Elle hated when Richie teased Stan and hurt his feelings, but Elle had just done something even worse. She had hurt his heart. 

“I am,” she stared at Stan, who focused his gaze on the gear shift. 

“I know.” 

Silence crept into the car and Elle grasped the door handle again, aware Stan’s gaze was now on her. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” Elle repeated herself from earlier, offering her best friend a sad smile. 

Stan returned it. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he agreed, and the two of them opened their doors in sync. Stan got Elle’s bike out of the back seat and wheeled it to her side of the car. 

“Be safe,” Elle smiled up at him as she gripped her bike handles nervously.

Stan wordlessly leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. 

“You too,” he smiled down at her as he backed up and turned to hide his eyes from her. He only waved to her from inside the car before he pulled away and Elle was left standing on the sidewalk with her bike. 

_ God, what did I just do to Stan?  _

A shaky sigh left her as she wheeled her bike up the driveway and dumped it beside Silver. Elle felt as though she might burst into tears as she took the stairs two at a time and ducked into her dark house. It was late and her parents would likely be asleep. Bill would have waited up for her though. She could talk to Bill about this. 

“Bill?” Elle called into the house quietly, not wanting to wake their parents. The light was on in the living room, but Bill was nowhere to be found. She took quiet steps and listened to the floor creak under her weight. 

“Bill?” She called again, rounding the corner and gasping as pain flared in her foot. Elle jumped back and listened to the sound of plastic bouncing off the floor. She reached out blindly to her left and the light clicked on. She had stepped on a green Lego piece. 

Not far from the piece that she stepped on lay a whole clump of them in the middle of the floor. 

Something had obviously been dropped, but Bill didn’t play with Lego. 

Georgie did. 

“Bill?” Elle called louder this time, panic lacing her words as she looked for her brother.. She stepped into the kitchen and immediately noticed the door to the basement was ajar. The same feeling she had had earlier at Ben’s resurfaced as she took careful steps around the Lego to the open door. It was dark, but she could hear somebody talking. As she tiptoed towards the door she could feel her chest ache in painful recognition. 

“Bill, you let me go out in the rain! You weren’t really sick. You LIED.” 

It was a voice much younger than Bill’s. One that had yelled for piggybacks and attention until last October. 

“You  _ LIED _ , and I  _ DIED _ .” 

Elle’s eyes were slowly adjusting to the dark of the basement as she reached the threshold of the door. Her stomach flipped and she thought she might throw up on the spot when she saw a little yellow rain slicker in the dark, although one of the sleeves sagged as if it was missing the arm. 

“YOU LIED, and I DIED,” the voice was coming from the yellow rain slicker. 

_ Oh my God. _

“YOU LIED, and ELLE LEFT.” 

Elle froze when Georgie’s head snapped up to stare at her. He was ghostly pale and had deep purple bags under his little brown eyes, and a wide, un-Georgie scowl. The sleeve that sagged had a tear in the shoulder, as if it had been ripped off and sewn back on.

“Why did you leave me?” Georgie asked, cocking his head to the side as he sometimes did when he listened to Bill talk about something he wanted to learn about. His voice was soft and full of pain. “You said you would take me sailing and then  _ YOU LEFT ME _ ,” His little voice was starting to sound less like Georgie and more like a chorus of other voices.

“Elle-” Bill drew her attention from the bottom of the stairs, and for the first time Elle realized their basement had flooded up to the small landing Bill stood on. Bill was in his pajamas and stared up at her, eyes wide in panic. Elle probably looked the same. She looked back to Georgie and her heart dropped as the feeling of pure terror returned, stronger than it had been at Ben’s. 

Georgie was still standing in the same spot looking at Bill, but Georgie wasn’t what scared her. 

_ It was the clown.  _

It had a hand up Georgie’s back like a puppeteer would to a puppet and was hidden just below the water level. Only It’s yellow eyes, soaked red hair and white greasepaint covered forehead was visible, but Elle knew who It was, and what It wanted. 

Georgie was It’s puppet, and Bill was It’s prey. 

It began to rise from the water as Georgie began to speak again, although it wasn’t Georgie. The voice coming from her little brother sounded demonic, like hundreds of angry screams melted together in agony. 

“YOU LIED AND I DIED,” Georgie screamed. Blackness began to creep into the veins on his face and his voice only got louder. “YOU LEFT ME. YOU KILLED ME.” 

That time Elle watched the clown’s mouth move as It puppeteered Georgie.

“YOU LIED. YOU LEFT.” 

“BILL-” Elle screamed for her older brother as the clown’s red lips rose above water. It sneered at them with teeth that shone and looked sharper than razor blades. 

“YOU LIED, YOU LEFT. I DIED.” 

Bill scrambled for the stairs as Georgie’s body slammed into the water with a splash. The clown stood tall as it grinned at the siblings and began to twist in a very inhuman way. It’s spine seemed to bend at awful angles as It kicked up water, and Elle realized It was making a beeline for Bill’s who was only just starting up the stairs. Elle reached out and stepped down a stair to grab for Bill, who was still too far away. The clown’s mouth seemed wider than it had before, almost like It had unhinge It’s jaw in preparation.

“Bill!” Elle called out desperately as the clown made it to the bottom of the stairs at the same time Bill’s hand grasped Elle’s. Elle gave Bill a hard yank and stepped back up off the steps, pulling her brother with her. Bill tumbled over his sister as he too made it into the kitchen. Bill kicked the basement door shut with a loud bang and leaned on it. 

“Elle-” Bill’s breathing was ragged as he reached out, but she already knew what he wanted. She grabbed a dining room chair and pulled it up to the door as quickly as she could, and with Bill’s help they got it underneath the door handle so the door would be unable to open if It tried to get up. 

Bill stepped back from the door and the two Denbrough siblings stood in the kitchen staring at it, their chests heaving. 

“W-what t-the f-fu-fuck,” Bill breathed, his eyes wide and his hands on his hips as he stared at the door in shock. 

Elle didn’t say anything back. She didn’t know what to say. She could tell Bill she had seen It before, but she knew that would just make him panicky. Instead she reached over and took his large hand in hers, and took comfort in the way he squeezed her hand back. 

The Denbrough siblings slept restlessly that night, although better than they would have if they were apart. They locked themselves in Bill’s bedroom and stayed awake for a few hours before sleep took them. It took Bill first, and he nodded off sprawled out in his bed under his blankets. Elle only laid beside him and listened as his snores began, and fell asleep to that sound. Her mind didn’t stop though. It raced with thoughts of Eddie, who she longed for, and Stan, who longed for her. And of the clown that had puppeteered their little brother and came after Bill. 

Elle tossed and turned as she slept, and Bill awoke in the night after she kicked him in her sleep. He stayed awake for hours after that watching over his little sister. The last sibling he had. 

After all, Bill lied and Georgie died. He didn’t know what he would do if something happened to his sister too. 


End file.
